SA: Kiroshioneze Attack: The War Begins
by Misty the Hedgehog
Summary: 2 of 10. Espio's saved, but he still has to not only fight his mutant form, but also someone from his past. Now Sonic and his friends have to face this nightmare from the Dark, especially Sonic, Espio, and Misty. Contains mpreg! Last Chapter added!
1. Morning Wake Up Call

**Sonic Adventures: **

**Kiroshioneze Attack **

**The War Begins **

**Prologue**

_Espio has been saved, but what no one realizes is a war has now begun, as of that night. Though they stopped the dramatic early start where Espio was taken and mutated into a horrific creature, doesn't mean the war won't start…_

_That night was when two sides struck at one another. Spell, creatures, and weapons were forced towards one another, in rage of ending the Dark ways. The one main question though is, who will win…_

_As they all rest for that night, the war slowly builds, and will soon reach them, and will soon make their calling to them. That calling won't be any calling; it'll be the calling of life and death. Good and evil. And also, now or never. This calling will determine their future, their fate, and the world's fate…_

_I, Nirinia, leave Espio to tell you the story, for he, knows everything. For it was he that seen it in the first place, even sooner than Misty…_

_After all that chaos that entered my life, I wasn't too sure whether to say I would've been happy to die the next day, or live onward and wait, but when Misty reentered my life, I was stunned, and that brought back memories I'd thought I'd never see again. Misty saved my life before, and we took classes together, and she said to me "I love you" back then, the moment before we parted._

_I must admit, she has grown hot, and I'm determined to find out what had occurred in her life, and, even tell her how I feel as of now. I'm about ready to make that truce for real…_

**Chapter 1: **

**A Morning Wake Up Call**

It was a peaceful night; everyone was gathered around the fire, just outside of Motor City. The night hovered over their heads forever, as if it was forever darkness that night, but with the tiniest of holes that let in some heaven.

Everyone got ready for the night sleep, surrounding the fire like a whirlpool, and keeping close so no one was to be taken. They all had their own sleeping bag, and they all had their own pillows, and they all had their own covers to keep them warm. Everyone was fine, except for one.

-----------------------

"No! No! Please! Anything! Anything but that! I beg you!" Espio cried out.

He lied on the ground, chained and bloody. His wounds were freshly made, and his body slowly grew weak, as his enemy that he couldn't see, because of the darkness surrounding him tortured him. All he could see was a shady figure of a chameleon with three horns poking out from the head. But he could only see the shadow, for every time he looked up, he was smacked across the face with a ball and chain. His face would ache as the spikes from the ball whips across and stabbed his face.

"Please! I beg you! Stop!" Espio cried out, tears running down his face, "I'll do anything but this! ANYTHING!"

"Espio! Just do it!" Misty's voice echoed, "Screw me Espio! I'm your problem! Just do it, and let him do it!"

"I strongly suggest you listen to her," a raspy voice told him, "She is right you know."

"No! She's not!" Espio cried more, "I won't do it! And I won't let you do it either!"

"Ha!" the raspy voice screeched, "even if you don't, you'll do it after me! So I'm giving you the chance for first doing it. Second time will only kill her."

Espio cried more, "No…"

"Espio! I'm doin' you a favor! Now just do it!" Misty cried out.

Espio glanced up, and seen Misty's face. She let down tears tainted with her blood, begging for Espio to just do what he said. Espio wanted to break out of his chains and free her, and then run away from the torture, but he couldn't for his body was too weak from the wounds, and that pain was too strong. He blamed himself for what has happened, and he blamed himself for putting Misty in this danger, and he blamed himself for about killing her at that moment, because either way, she was going to be killed.

"Fine…"Espio finally gave in, "Just leave us alone…"

"Will do then." The raspy voice chuckled a little, "Remember, two _straight_ hours!"

The two both heard the door slam behind them, and then it was complete silence.

"Bastard didn't even free us." Misty growled, "What does he expect us to do? Use our mouths?"

"I guess." Espio sat in disgrace.

Misty turned to him, "Look, either way, I'm getting killed. If you get first dibs, at least you were the first one, not him."

Espio continued to sit in silence.

"That truce that we had four years ago." Misty sighed, "That truce was that we were to love no one else until we met again, and when we did, we were to decide whether to stay or part, and you wanted to stay. So, so do I, and I want you to be the first, not him, surely you though of that?

Espio nodded.

Misty strongly took a deep breath, and continued, with some sadness in her voice, "Look, I understand you don't want this to happen, but, this is when you're just going to have to save only your life, not mine and yours, just yours. So let it be, but let this be the first for both of us."

Espio sighed, "You're lying…"

"Wait…" Misty blinked, "Oh yeah, damn Sonic…I don't count that though. But look, at least you'll be the first that actually loves me that will be the first. He, on the other hand, will be the last to do it without love."

Espio continue to sit, for he felt even guiltier, for it was going to be him that'll have to do it. He was going to start the pain and suffering.

He then remembered his mutant form.

"But, Misty. My other form." Espio looked up, his eyes the only thing that was still in one piece.

"Just let the other form be, Espio." Misty sighed, "I won't ever have to feel it again, but lust can sometimes be the best thing your other side has."

The chains and shackles rattled as Misty used her mind to unlock them. All of them rattled and landed on the ground with a loud clang. Espio rubbed his wrists in pain, and then looked over at Misty.

"Of all things…" Espio said with near silence.

Misty crawled over strongly, for all of her wounds were healing, almost healed fully, "Look, no matter what happens, you know how long we've known one another. Even though it isn't as long as yours and Knuckles', it's still long to say we've known each other."

Misty then leaned over and kissed him lightly, then pulled back a few inches, "I love you with all of my heart, and I'll always be with you."

Espio quickly lightened up, and his eyes softened, knowing that this could be the last romantic moment of their life. He sat up and put his hands on her hips. Misty in return set her hands around his head, and both stared at one another with soft eyes, saying their final calm good-bye.

"And forever shall I remember you." Espio said softly.

He then pressed his lips with hers, and slowly they went hot and heavy, then slowly they stripped.

-----------------------

"Espio!"

Espio screamed out in fright, and leaped out of his sleeping bag like a rattler crept into his sleeping bag. He stumbled backwards, and landed on Misty, who was in her fox form, sleeping on her sleeping bag. Misty then lit up and shrieked, flipping Espio around and over on Shadow. Shadow then kicked wildly, and kicked Espio's head forward, and pushing him onto Rouge; face first, onto her chest. In his case, it was the one thing that was comfy.

Rouge then screamed and kneed Espio in the stomach, and he landed back onto his own sleeping bag, his head spinning like a top, and his body aching again. Sonic stared at Espio, amazed that what one word can do in a minute. Misty stood up, and took a few steps by Espio, and scanned to see if he was still alive.

"Oops." Sonic said, his eyes still wide with amazement.

Misty glared up at Sonic, "See what happens when you do it one to many times. Without shaking him!"

"No kidding." Rouge cried a little.

"What in the world happened?" Conore woke up.

Shadow stood up and pointed at Sonic like a child, "He made Espio bounce around like a piece of tin foil all around here! And making Rouge very uncomfortable."

"At least someone cares." Rouge rolled her eyes.

Sonic spun around to Shadow, "Yeah! Well I wasn't the one that made Espio put his face into Rouge's boobs!"

Misty sighed, and licked Espio's face to see if he was still conscious. Espio flinched a little, and sat up, holding his stomach in pain. Misty whimpered a little, and licked his face in comfort. Espio smiled back at her.

"What a wake up call if ya ask me, man!" Aaron said rubbing his head.

Sonic growled at Shadow, "No thanks to you."

Espio glared up at Sonic for a short moment, tempted to let a Serpent jump out and bite him for his breakfast drink.

Misty walked by Sonic, "No, no thanks to _you. _You dumbass!"

"Well, at least I ain't goin' around sleepin' around with other guys." Sonic said, crossing his arms.

Misty's back arched, "That was your doin' you little-"

Espio's eyes quickly turned snake like, and a Serpent shot out from his skin. The Serpent hissed, and shot across from Misty's face just inches close, and snapped onto Sonic's side.

"YEEEOOOOOWCH!" Sonic howled loudly.

That was the wake up call for Vector, Charmy, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, and Cheese. Everyone that woke up shrieked in shock, and looked around to see what was the problem.

Misty sat, and stared at the Serpent's neck that stretched from Espio, to Sonic, and sighed in annoyance.

"I guess the controlled first time will start with Sonic instead of me."

"Espio!" Sonic frantically yelled, "Get your stupid snake off of me before I cut it off with a knife!"

"Can't now Sonic." Misty laughed, "It's stuck to you for another hour."

"WHAT!" Sonic shrieked.

"Besides, you deserve it." Shadow laughed with her.

"Grrrrrr!" Sonic growled, "And I was talking to Espio, not you!"

"He's in silence." Misty started again, "When one of those Serpents actually _do_ get something, Espio sits absolutely still until he's satisfied. That's why if you-"

"What?" Sonic raised and eyebrow.

"Nothing!" Misty the silenced and sat by Espio.

Espio sat as if meditating, but his arms were holding him up to the sides. His eyes closed, and his breathing light as a feather. He was perfectly still, and silent.

"So I have to wait for an hour until he's satisfied?" Sonic complained more, "Why can't you! I'll pass out before then, then I'll be dead!"

"That's true actually." Conore reminded Misty.

"Oh yeah." Misty blinked.

"Wait, what I said is true?" Sonic's pupils shrunk.

"Don't worry." Misty smiled.

Misty then pinched the skin, and the Serpent quickly released Sonic, and shrunk back into Espio's skin. Quickly Espio's eyes flashed open, his eyes still snake like, but he growled at Misty violently.

Misty shifted to her normal hedgehog form, and took out her necklace, and started searching through it, "As much as I want to kill you Sonic, I won't. So, be happy you've been saved this time. Cause next time, I won't save you."

"Guaranteed. Listen to her Sonic." Conore advised.

Sonic covered up his wounded side from the Serpent's bite. He then sat back down and glared at Espio while he wasn't looking.

"So, I'm lost." Tails spoke up, "what just happened?"

"Sonic nearly made Espio kiss my ladies." Rouge said wrapping up her bag fully dressed.

"It wasn't my fault!" Sonic argued.

"If ya don't shake him, you'll kill him." Misty said, poking a tube under her skin, which slowly guided blood through the tube.

Espio seen the sight of blood, and quickly yanked Misty over by him, and quickly took the small tube, and started drinking from it. Misty yipped, and landed on her side by his knees, and sat there, letting Espio drain her.

"And this is what I'm gonna deal with every about five hours, except at night." Misty pointed out, "It's called blood lust, which is what Quazaireon put on him as a curse."

"It's called freaky!" Tails said, staring at the two, "But why are _you_ the only one capable of this?"

"One, neither Conore or Aaron can, even they're what I am, just without what I can do." Misty sighed, "And second, beans I can replace the blood I lost in a second, and no one else can, I can go on almost forever and not get dizzy from blood loss. But that's while knowing, not without knowing. Long story though."

"You people have the easy life." Tails said shivering, crept out by Espio's blood lust.

"It ain't easy Tails, I'll tell ya that right now." Aaron said, getting out of his bag.

"Okay, can we go get breakfast, before Espio rapes me again?" Sonic complained, standing up.

"Oh shut up Sonic, you're fine." Shadow said, pushing him along.

"Look at that! You call that fine?" Sonic shouted and pointed out as the two pushed through bushes.

"Why." Knuckles sighed.

"He's a man whore." Misty said.

Amy growled at her remark.

"It's called a joke, Amy." Tails said, putting his hand on her left shoulder.

"Don't touch me." Amy growled again.

"Gesh Amy, what's your problem?" Vector asked, putting his and Charmy's sleeping bag together.

"Nothing!" Amy snapped as she stomped out towards the river.

"Gesh." Vector said as he watched her walk off.

Tails then intentionally grabbed a frying pan from Knuckles pack, and put a death grip on it, while watching Espio. His eyes shrunk a little in fear and caution.

"What is up with you man?" Knuckles stared at Tails.

"I don't care if Espio's been through plastic surgery!" Tails growled a little, shaking the frying pan in his hands, "But if he comes within five feet of me, he'll be hornyless! So keep him away from me!"

Vector and Misty shook their heads in shame.

"Tails if anything, he'll attack me, not you." Misty told Tails.

"B-but, he attacked Sonic first!" Tails cried.

"That'll be the last." Conore poked at him, "And if anything, that frying pan will only piss him off more."

"You don't know that!" Tails snapped, his eyes more narrow.

"Actually, I do." Conore said, lowering his tone.

Tails stared at him.

"We have basically dealt with this before, it's common for one to attack his friends." Aaron informed.

"You're kidding?" Tails said, still holding the pan by his head.

Conore and Aaron shook their heads.

"Creepy." Tails said, lowering the pan down.

"Now hand over that pan Tails." Knuckles waved to him.

"Mine!" Tails snapped again, "I still don't trust those two, and I _still_ don't trust Misty, and I _still_ don't trust Espio. After what he did? No!"

Knuckles shook his head, "I understand he scared you, but listen, after about another month, he'll gain control, and everything will be normal."

"He's still a mutant." Tails reminded, "He's no longer a ninja, he's a mutant ninja."

"Just give me the damn frying pan Tails!" Knuckles hollered.

"No!" Tails pulled the frying pan away from Knuckles, "I don't want to be bitten."

"You will soon if you don't give it up." Vector warned.

Tails quickly became scared, and handed Knuckles the frying pan, then cowardly hid underneath his sleeping bag. Knuckles smiled and put the frying pan in Sonic's pack, instead of his own pack.

"Tails, it'll be okay." Cream comforted.

"Go away!" Tails growled.

From a distance, the group started to hear Shadow, Sonic, and Amy arguing on their way back from the river. As they got closer, the arguing got worse and worse, soon, after they pushed through the bushes, they didn't even care they were right next to Espio.

"Well it ain't my fault you slept with her you stupid Viagra hedgehog!" Amy growled, pulling out her hammer.

"Well it ain't my fault Espio was the one who got stabbed in the chest with a flipping injection the diameter size of my pinky finger!" Sonic hollered back.

"And it ain't my fault that Conore tossed me and Misty out just for having a disagreement!" Shadow budded back in.

The rest were dead silent, and Espio stopped feeding on Misty, and watched still with demonic eyes.

"Well! What do you expect blackhead!" Amy snapped.

"Hey now! Means you called Sonic names doesn't mean you call me names!" Shadow stopped his foot down.

"But it doesn't mean for you to get snappy like her!" Sonic cracked.

Espio quickly grew irritated, and jumped up onto his feet, "WOULD YOU THREE SHUT UP!"

The three hedgehogs quickly fell silent, and stared at Espio. Espio was on his toes, furious, and his snake eyes showed he was at the point for nearly killing someone, more than likely Sonic. His fist shook with anger, and his tail uncurled, and whipped around like an actual whip. Misty quickly shifted to her fox form, and backed off a few feet, and so did everyone else.

Espio took a deep breath, "I don't know what you two were arguing about earlier, but whatever it was lead you nowhere. Right now, what's done is done, and we need to push that into our minds, as of now! So, let's just move on, and go without complaining about the past. I'm a flippin' mutant. Sonic's also got a new form to toy with. Misty, Conore, and Aaron are now part of our group. And now, none of us knows where Eggman has gone. So forget the damn past and move onward."

"I agree." Charmy said, jumping up and hugging Espio.

"Bad Charmy. Baaaaaad Charmy." Misty said, taking Charmy off of Espio with a panicking face expression.

"He's right." Sonic said scratching his head, "We do need to move on."

Amy then blinked a few times, and glanced at Espio, "Aren't you suppose to be fee-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Conore slapped his hand across her mouth, making her nearly loose her balance. Amy tried ripping his hand away from her mouth, but he was too strong for her to even budge it.

"No, we'll be eating later anyhow." Conore answered for Espio, "Besides, the river here is no good. The fish are more active by another town. Let's head there."

"Wait, is that why we went to the river?" Shadow stood with a blank face.

Sonic slapped his face, "You're so slow, you know that Shadow."

Misty quickly came up and punched Sonic on the wound Espio gave to him earlier. Sonic shrieked at the punch, and fell on the ground, gripping his side in pain. Conore then removed his hand away from Amy's mouth, and proceeded on to pack up. Amy wiped her mouth, then pointed and laughed at Sonic. And in spite, so did Shadow.

"Amy and Sonic are finally rivals now, aren't they?" Tails asked Knuckles.

Knuckles nodded in agreement, "Unless Sonic sleeps with Amy, and then they're forever screwed with one another."

_Well, let's just say that we're not quite satisfied with the fact that I'm a mutant, and the fact that for a while, I have to feed upon Misty's blood until I just feed once every month, which to a lot of us, is disturbing…_

_That dream though, I don't know if that was a sign, or not, but, it was kinda creepy. I juts can't imagine though either way, Misty has to be killed. But, it was just a nightmare, nothing to bad, I don't think…_

_But it's weird, every time I have one of those blood lusts; I totally black out, and don't remember a thing. It's weird. It's like; I still need to tame my mutant form…_


	2. The Start of Trouble

**Chapter 2: **

**The Start of Trouble**

They walked for several miles ahead on a dirt road, luckily for them, it was sunny, and so no chill would slow their pace down. Misty was the only one that traveled as her fox form, and she traveled right beside Espio, since Tails didn't want to at all.

No one spoke. Dead silence was all that was between them. No one whispered, or even whistled. The silence was starting to annoy Tails, and quickly he got the intention of saying something that'll at least break the silence. He couldn't take it.

"Would someone SAY something?" Tails complained.

"Like what?" Rouge asked him, keeping her head up, but nose in air.

"Something that won't make us go crazy and kill everyone here." Tails said with some irritation in his voice.

"Well, I can start of by saying this morning was interesting." Sonic laughed.

"Yeah, with you screamin' your head off." Misty growled a little.

"Well it ain't my fault Espio bit me." Sonic turned and started walking backwards.

"I will do it again Sonic." Espio growled, "This time all six will pop out."

Sonic went silent, and spun back around.

"Come on now people!" Tails complained again.

Misty shifted to normal, and started walking by Tails, "Whenever you need to kill Sonic, remember, just pinch Espio's ass and he'll go into a frenzy."

Espio turned and looked at Misty with amazement, "Are you kidding?"

"I've tried it with someone else before." Misty smiled, "It worked."

Sonic spun back around, "Look, I won't be disturbing anymore, so quit it."

Misty walked up behind Sonic, "Quit what? Talking or planning ways to come back at you?"

"Both!" Amy answered for him.

Misty ignored her.

"That's right, you better shut up for once." Amy smiled.

"Fine, I'll just go ahead of you all and leave Espio to nibble on all of your bones." Misty said, shifting back into her fox form.

"No-no-no-no-no-no!" Sonic jumped, "Misty, she's just kidding."

"No I'm not." Amy growled at Sonic.

"I don't know about you Amy." Sonic spun around towards her and started walking backwards again, "But since I don't have a pink hammer with moi, I'd rather _not _have a savage mutant ninja chameleon on by back tearing me down to shreds of little pieces of paper. But I guess everyone's suppose to have a pink hammer with me all day every day, so that won't happen."

"Okay, when I said say something, I meant do go insulting one another again." Tails sighed.

"Tails is right." Knuckles agreed, "Look, can't we talk about something else?"

"What is there to talk about?" Shadow asked him.

"Well, for one, Misty." Knuckles turned to her, "How do you know the procedure of, well…"

"How to control Espio's mutation thingy?" Misty finished.

"Yes." Knuckles nodded.

"It's happened before." Misty started off, "in fact, me, Marie, and Canaras had to deal with people that ended up like Espio."

Espio spun around, "Is there a cure?"

"Nope, not with Nirinia." Misty said.

"Um, Nirinia?" Vector asked.

"The golden hedgehog." Misty reminded, "With Espio able to shift to a mutant whenever he wants, he also gets something else, though I shouldn't say."

"What?" Shadow questioned her.

"I really shouldn't say." Misty lowered her head, "It's kinda disturbing."

"Come on. We won't gag or anything." Tails begged.

"Well, I'll tell Tails, but no one else is to know, not even Espio." Misty said.

"What? Why?" Espio whimpered.

"You wouldn't know it happened anyways." Misty said.

Quickly Misty jumped into her hedgehog form, and whispered into Tails' ears. For that moment, Espio grew confused, he wanted to camouflage and try to eavesdrop on what Misty was telling Tails, but knowing she's telepathic, he couldn't.

"Um, what's that?" Tails asked her out loud.

Everyone turned heads towards the two slightly, wondering what he wanted to know. Tails expression went from content, to astounded. Shocked by her answer, he turned towards Espio and went from shock, to jealousy.

"Lucky bastard!" Tails said, hunching his shoulders a little.

"Is it a good thing, might I ask?" Vector asked.

"In your case, um…" Misty stood a bit confused.

"Forget it." Sonic said putting is arms behind his head.

"Can we take a break though?" Cream complained.

"We're only a few miles from this town." Conore informed, "In fact, this should be like a teen trip."

"Huh?" Amy raised an eyebrow.

"What I'm saying is, Vector, Charmy, Cream and Cheese should go back home, and we travel by foot to who knows where." Conore said.

"Don't forget Amy." Tails snickered.

"HEY!" Amy growled.

"Well…" Conore lowered his ears.

"But then we'll miss Espio." Charmy cried a little.

"And I would miss you Mr. Sonic." Cream said quietly.

"Then Vector and Cream's mother get married while we're gone." Sonic laughed a little.

"Vector, your opinion?" Conore turned his head slightly towards him.

"I actually like the idea." Vector nodded, "I do agree with Charmy though. We'd miss you all, and wonder if you were even still alive."

"We're among friends." Knuckles said, "Besides…"

Knuckles then wrestled his arm around Espio's neck, "I'll be able to make sure Espio doesn't get too homesick while we're on the run."

"You're asking for it." Espio laughed.

"Come on now!" Knuckles challenged and punched Espio on the arm, and quickly got into fighting position, "Let's have a little fight, huh?"

"Winner takes Misty out to din din." Rouge joked.

"Hey now!" Misty turned towards Rouge, which started laughing, "Fine, loser takes Rouge."

"Hey! I don't want the horny one." Rouge laughed again.

"She's talking about you man." Knuckles taunted, giving Espio another punch.

"Hey! I'm in!" Sonic said, tackling Knuckles to the ground.

"Count me in!" Shadow said, jumping in with Sonic and Knuckles.

"Hey1 He started with me! Not you two!" Espio said, shoving himself into the fight.

The group paused, and watched as the four guys went at it and fight with one another, all either punching, kicking, biting, scratching, or head butting, they were all doing something to try to win or lose, either way, a busty babe's at one end. The others though stood around and watched them go at it.

"Ouch! Stop biting!" Sonic hollered.

"Well stop bitch-slapping me!" Espio growled.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Shadow howled.

"No it's not." Knuckles replied.

Shadow then rolled out of the group and lied on the ground with some bruises from the fight. Rouge then walked over and stood above him.

"Looks like you owe me dinner." Rouge smiled.

"Better than nothing." Shadow barely smiled.

Knuckles then rolled out from the fight, and stood right back up, then he realized, he didn't win, but he didn't lose either.

"Ha! You're screwed." Tails laughed.

"And I was the one who started it." Knuckles rolled his eyes.

Sonic and Espio started getting more violent, Sonic started to bite back more, and Espio was near of drawing out his mutant claws to scratch him hard and viciously. Sonic couldn't hold onto Espio any longer, and lost his grip around Espio's horn, and rolled by Amy's feet, and lied there with bite marks all over him.

"So the horny one has to take me out." Misty grinned a little.

Espio grinned, "It'd be my pleas-ack!"

He felt a throbbing push against his chest, like something was inside trying to shove its way out. He held his chest, a small strike of pain struck in after the push. His sight was then lost, and he felt his aching body collapse. He heard the group starting to panic, and could barely hear what they were saying. It then became silent.

-----------------------

"…hey…Hey…Hey, Espio!" Misty's voice called in.

Espio woke up, his head throbbing with pain, and his body felt useless, like he'd just tried to pull a five-ton truck out of the mud. He looked around, and found himself in a white room; large windows surrounded the doorway the size of wall paintings in museums of all sorts. He tried lifting his body up, but his arms wouldn't even move. They were like rubber with nothing in them.

"Espio. Are you okay?" Charmy poked at him.

Espio shook his head to regain his sight fully, but his sight was still slightly blurred, he couldn't make out the difference between Misty and Shadow, who stood to his left side. He did though notice that Vector, Shadow, Knuckles, and Misty were the only ones in the room with him.

"What happened?" Espio tried sitting up.

"Well, it's a long story." Knuckles said, lowering his head a little.

"Wait! I turned into my mutant form without being able to-"

"No no." Misty stopped him, "Nothing like that, but kinda similar to it though."

"You don't remember a thing do you?" Shadow asked.

"I just blacked out." Espio said, still struggling to sit up, "Why can't I sit up?"

Misty sighed, and flopped back part of the cover, to reveal to Espio, he was being restrained under belts that reached from one side of his bed to the other. Espio stared at the restraints as if he killed something and didn't know about it.

"What in god's name!" Espio shrieked.

"You were rabid." Knuckles continued, "You were running crazy, and nearly killed Sonic, Tails, Conore, Aaron, and some others, that's why they're not here."

"What were they trying to do?" Espio asked while his eyes narrowed after shock.

"We were trying to hold you down." Vector said, "But you drew out your claws and started swiping at us. I thought you _were_ going to kill us all."

Espio noticed that they all were also scratched up. He grew scared.

"Once we got you down," Misty notified, "I called in Marie and demanded her to hurry up and get to the village we're in now. After that, Conore stabbed a paralysis injection into you, and you haven't moved since we came here."

"What then brought me to these restraints?" Espio asked.

"Well, while we dragged you in," Shadow started, "Marie was about to come by and check on you, until you snapped, and nearly ripped her face off. You were like a wild wolf with rabies at a high level, you attacked everyone in the waiting room."

Espio grew even more scared.

"Which brings me to say some bad news." Misty resumed, "you attacked Charmy like he was your main prey, and nearly killed him. He's severely injured, and is now going through a seventh surgery."

Espio's mouth dropped.

"So far he's still alive." Knuckles told him, "But they're saying if they don't start closing up his wounds, he'll die in the next six hours."

"Also, just before you actually nearly _did_ kill Charmy," Knuckles continued, "a bunch of biker guys came in and tackled you to the ground. They were like grabbing you right and left, and tying you up in chains. Luckily, none of those guys were hurt. They then carried you here, which is when you went more ballistic, and was almost impossible to hold you down."

"Which brings us to the head ache." Vector brought up, "We had to shoot you."

"Come again…" Espio asked.

"We had to shoot you from a distance another paralysis dart," Shadow said, "which killed your refusal to stay down, then Marie got on with the case, and found the problem."

"Which was?" Espio asked.

"We don't know." Vector answered, "Marie's having trouble figuring it out. She said this has never happened in the case of a Serpent Licker Mutant."

"A what?" Espio grew more confused.

"That's what you are." Knuckles stated, "A mutant capable of shooing out those, things."

Espio felt more down in the dumps, "What am I going to do, this mutant side of me is going to kill us."

"I think that's why Conore mentioned that Vector, Charmy, Cream, and Cheese are to go back home." Shadow reminded.

"Put Amy in that group." Misty rolled her eyes.

"She'd be miserable for the rest of her and our lives." Knuckles stared.

"Can you at least untie me?" Espio begged.

"Nope, hospital rules." Vector said, "Besides, how do we know you're not faking it?"

"He isn't Vector." Misty said, "Trust me, I know."

Espio then started to feel his body get hot, then pressure on the stomach was applied, and wasn't allowing him to breathe. He started to gasp for air, and tried to cry out for help. His arms bulged a little, as if he was mutating by force, again. His chest started to feel like it was splitting into two. His heart started to try and beat out of his chest, and then he felt his stomach feel stabbed. He shouted out in pain, and Marie came rushing in, and drew out what looked like a gun.

"Get back! Now!" Marie told the four.

Quickly the four backed up, and Marie stood at the foot of Espio's bed, and pointed towards the stomach. Espio closed his eyes, not wanting to see her shoot him, nor could he take the pain that he was feeling. His stomach then grew worse, and soon it rose back to his chest, then to his arms, where he broke the restraints. He then lastly heard the gun go off, and then nothing.

-----------------------

Two hours have passed, and few of the group waited in the waiting room, Conore, Aaron, Knuckles, Misty, Shadow, Vector, and Rouge. They waited not just for the others; they waited to see if Espio was okay. One of the bikers then walked in and spotted them sitting. A black female echidna with purple highlights, chains, spikes, and a headband with a black rose on fire colored purple. She walked over and stood in front of the group.

"How's that chameleon?" She asked.

"Terrible." Knuckles replied with a bit of interest in her, "We still don't know the problem."

"I should've known that he was a Serpent Licker Mutant." She smiled, "Our bud, Harris is one."

Misty sprang up, "He is?"

"He's also in that chameleon's situation though." She told them, "We've been here for about five hours now, and nothing."

"With Marie?" Conore glanced up at her.

"Yes." She nodded, "Names Violet by the way."

"Conore." Conore introduced, "Then this is Aaron, Knuckles, Vector, Misty, Shadow, then Rouge."

"Wait, Vector?" Violet blinked, "Don't tell me the chameleon's Espio!"

"It is." They all said.

She pulled up a chair, "How in the world did Espio become one? Unless he was born one."

"That's what I wish." Misty said, "But…Knuckles, you know."

"She right, I do." Knuckles sighed, "Eggman took me and him hostage, and, well, turn him into one."

Violet sat a bit shocked, "I thought Eggman was dead though?"

"We _all_ though that." Shadow said.

"Anyways," Knuckles continued, "We've fought for a few days to get him back, and during the time, Shadow and I have been turned into one, but cured. So did Tails and another echidna named Alexis. And then Sonic turned into one, but now it's like a secondary form for him."

"Like a Traveling Earthesen." Violet lifted her head.

"You know then what we're talking about." Aaron spoke up.

"Yes, my whole gang is a group of Traveling Earthesens." She smiled, "Where did you guys come from?"

"Well, Misty, Aaron and I came from Night City." Conore told her, "The others came from right and left."

"We too came from Night City, and are just headed back." She said.

"That's odd." Knuckles perked up, "Weren't we also headed there?"

"Yeah! We were!" Vector grew alert.

Violet then noticed another one of her members walking in. This was a white echidna with black streaks, but with a leather vest and baggy jeans, and a white bandana.

"This is Rap." Violet introduced.

"Good news!" Rap spoke, a bit deeper voice than Shadow's, "This is for you guys too."

"Really?" Misty raised her head.

"Marie figured out what's the problem, but I wasn't quite paying attention of what it was."

"And?" Knuckles asked.

"And, the bad news is, it's not curable."

"What!" They all shrieked.

"It's something that's natural at sixteen I guess is what she said, and that it'll die off tomorrow."

"We, I guess that's also good news." Aaron stated.

Misty sprung out of her seat and shifted to her fox form, "If it's natural, then how come I didn't see it with the others meh buds and I have dealt with?"

"Good point." Conore nodded, "We've dealt with this type of mutant before, but, well, we never expected a outrage of which Espio nearly tears us all to shreds."

"Dunno." Violet shrugged.

Misty sat back in her seat, "I can't wait till tomorrow though. We need to move move move!"

"No big deal." Knuckles said, setting his hand on her head, "I don't think it'll be too much for us to handle."

Marie then walked in, and was able to hear what Knuckles had just said, "I'd rethink that."

They all turned to her.

"Well, I did say it was natural, but we need to monitor both during the night. I can't risk Espio breaking the restraints again."

"Espio broke the restraints?" Rap stared at the six with a bit of shock.

"We dunno what was happening." Knuckles said, "I'll I know he was crying out in pain, then I heard a snap, then Marie came in, took out a dart gun, and shot him in the head, again!"

"Most effective." Marie stated, "But I need two of you to monitor the two until eight tomorrow morning."

"By then I'd be dead on the bed." Misty lowered her head, "I've tried staying up 24/7, and then I was dead the next day until four thirty that afternoon. So I'm-"

"No Misty, you're doin' it." Vector directed.

Misty glared over at Vector, "Make me."

"How about when Espio recovers, I'll remind him of that blood lust, and he'll go into a frenzy." Conore sneered.

Misty stared at Conore for a moment, undecided. She then nodded, "Fine."

"I'll help her out." Knuckles volunteered.

"Then it's settled." Marie agreed, "You'll start at ten tonight."

"Hey now." Aaron spoke up, "What about the rest of us?"

"Can we sleep here for the night?" Rouge glanced up.

"I don't know, I'll ask though." Marie said, while walking off.

They all sat with a silence that seemed to last forever.

-----------------------

Quickly night came by, and the gang was either in a patient's room, because of the injuries, or sleeping in the waiting room. It was eleven fifty at night, and Misty monitored Espio's room, while Knuckles monitored the biker's room. Both hated the fact they had to stay up at night, but it had to be done. Neither spoke, for it wasted energy. Neither moved from their spot, it was warm where they had sat for the past near two hours. And, neither did have something to keep them awake, which was food and water only. The other stuff, like magazines would tire their eyes, makes them drowsy, then make them fall asleep.

Misty was the first to suddenly hear tapping sounds, tapping sounds that sounded like claws on metal. She perked up her fox head and listened, it was coming closer. Knuckles then heard it, and also listened for it, both were uncertain what the clicking noise was. Misty figured it was a blind person's dog roaming around. Knuckles though it was a mouse running around.

A low growl then came from behind Misty.

She froze.

"Knux…" Misty whispered, "Is there anything behind me in the room?"

Knuckles glanced over to see if there was anything, and seen nothing, he shook his head.

Misty became scared.

She sat up, and looked around frantically, whatever growled wasn't friendly, and it sounded deep, really deep, like a pit bull's growl. She then stood up, as if ready to run.

"Misty, calm yourself, it's probably just the furnace." Knuckles tried calming her down."

"I know a growl when I hear one." Misty glared at him, "That _was_ a growl."

Knuckles continued to stare at her for a moment, then turned his head away from her, and listened. Both sat for a short moment to see if they'd see or hear anything, and for the time being, it was complete silence. Neither moved an inch, except for turning their heads to look around. Misty sat down oh her haunches, and still looked around, still nerve-racked from the growl she just heard. It was pure silence.

Knuckles started to get annoyed because of the fact it was too quiet.

**CLASH!!!**

The shattering sound of glass broke the silence like a gunshot. Both Knuckles and Misty leaped to their feet in shock, and looked around to see if Espio or the biker had escape. It was though from another hallway, not far from where they stood.

"What in hell was that?" Knuckles questioned starting to shake.

Misty was dead silent.

"Misty?" Knuckles glanced to the left. Misty's expression was sterilized fright; she was about ready to run.

Knuckles then spun his head around to see what was putting her almost through shock, but was blinded by what felt like teeth that bite his snout. Knuckles shouted out in pain, for the fangs dug into him like many daggers falling down with each passing moment. Before he knew what happened to him next, he blacked out from banging his head on the glass windows, and when a shard of the glass forced its way through his back.

_I woke up, but was unable to regain my sight, I was blind…_

_All I heard was snarling, like something was mauling its prey. I then heard Knuckles cry out for help only once, then, nothing…_

_I also heard something else, like more of a werewolf's snarl, just moments later after I heard Knuckles cry out. It sounded familiar, but, knowing that I was blind, I ended up quickly falling back to sleep…_

_It was a werewolf's snarl that made me wonder, were the others around, or was there something else that may have killed Knuckles…_


	3. The Parting

**Chapter 3: **

**The Parting**

"It was…like, HUGE!" Misty tried to describe, "I can't describe it fully since it was dark, but all I know is that it was HUGE!"

It was about three in the morning, and Knuckles was quickly brought to the emergency room, for the injuries were serious, may have killed him if he lied on the glass for another five minutes. Misty was running about, freaked out from the sight of the creature's size.

"I swear!" Misty continued to freak out, "It was the size of Licker on the train on Resident Evil! It was HUGE!"

"At least Tails woke up." Sonic mentioned, "Otherwise, he'd be dead by now."

Espio walked into the room, rubbing his eyes and dizzy. Vector was wide awake, and rushed over to him to see if he was okay. Misty shifted to her hedgehog form and watched as Vector also freaked about Knuckles' near death experience.

"He was bloody! I thought he _was_ dead!" Vector shook Espio.

Espio grabbed a hold of Vector, and tightened his grip with rage streaming through him, "I know! I know! I heard most of what happened last night."

"Then why didn't you get up?" Tails complained.

"I was strapped down! How can I even lift my head?" Espio snapped.

Misty blinked a few times, observing him.

"You could've shifted to your mutant form! Brake out of the restraints! And saved him!" Shadow budded in.

Espio started to growl.

"Would you all just SHUT UP!" Rouge shouted.

Everyone silenced, except Espio, who was still growling.

"Just hold still Shadow, you won't feel a thing." Espio sneered while arching his back a bit.

Before he made a further movement, Misty walked in front of him, and crossed her arms. She wasn't willing to move. The gang stared at her with question. What in the world was she doing? Espio's growl ceased, but his glare grew.

"I know everything about mutants." Misty stated, "And if you attack Shadow, then he's screwed. And I don't think we need another mutant in our group."

"Get out of the way Misty." Espio growled again, "Shadow is interested in you, and he isn't to be."

Misty blinked, "Shadow? Interested? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Um, actually…" Shadow scratched his head.

Misty glared at him; Shadow stopped and set his arm back by his side.

"Just move!" Espio raised his voice.

Misty took a deep breath, and grabbed Espio by the horn, and dragged him with her outside. Espio tried to resist her pulling towards the door, but when Misty gave him the death glare, he moved. The group looked at one another confused, and then followed the two outside.

They followed them just outside the doorway, where Espio jerked away from her grip, and his horn slipped right out of her hands. He then took several steps backwards, and snarled at her for a warning. Misty only stared at him.

"Hey! We don't need another fight of hell, and we don't need another one in the emergency room." Sonic tried telling the two.

Misty glanced at Sonic, then faced Espio, and smiled, "Don't worry, he doesn't stand a chance. Even though after one bite, he'll hook on to me like magnet until he feels he's fed."

Espio lifted his head a bit.

"He won't last a minute." Misty taunted.

Espio started to get a bit nervous; he was buying it, big time.

"In fact, he won't last thirty seconds." Misty grinned.

Espio backed off a step, and Misty took a step forward to keep the distance even.

"Since you made the challenge, you'll strike first." Misty's eyes glowed for a second, and then faded.

Espio grew scared. And the group noticed it, but Sonic then seen that Misty wasn't after Espio at all.

Misty spun her head towards the others in that very instant, "Get inside! Now!"

Tails shrieked in fear and ran inside, "AH! It's the thing! It's the thing!"

Sonic twirled his head upwards to see something with wings just flying above them. He stared at it for the moment as it flown across the moon's sight. He growled a little, and had the intention of shifting to his gift form he received from Misty's guardian, and then head and attack the thing in the air.

Amy then grabbed Sonic by the arm, "Sonic! Come on!"

Sonic lost his balance, and let Amy tug him inside the doors, where the others waiting. Not to sure of what was about to happen, Shadow rushed out. Sonic seen him in the corner of his eye, and knew he wasn't going to last a minute with the other two, and reached out to stop him before he went further.

"Move your hand!" Shadow yelled.

Sonic grabbed his arm as he was still being dragged, "If I have to get my ass dragged in, you're coming with!"

Quickly Sonic jumped to his feet, and yanked Shadow with him into the doorways. They all made room in there as they watched as the two went after the creature.

"Is Espio okay?" Cream asked, shivering behind Rouge.

They all glanced at her, then turned their heads away. Conore had the courage to speak, "No, no he's not."

-----------------------

"We'll fight later." Espio hissed as he made way towards the doors.

Misty's eyes glowed, and flashed to demon like eyes like Espio, and screeched at him, stunning him in his tracks. Espio couldn't bare the screech, and neither could the others, though Misty meant for it to be a light screech of warning. She stopped, and Espio spun around towards her, his face pale.

Misty stared at him with the demonic eyes, "You started this, and you'll stay in it until it's over."

He stood straight, his expression turning from astounded to a glare, and gave a last hiss at her, then flew up into the air. The black hedgehog watched as he flew up, and formed wings, and flew up with him.

-----------------------

"Ouch! That hurt!" Aaron nagged, "It's ten times worse then nails on a chalkboard."

"That probably came from that thing in the sky." Tails growled as he pointed towards it.

Vector nodded in agreement to Tails, but then glanced at Conore, whose look was in worry, like something was about to happen, but luckily, it didn't. His mouth dropped a bit, and his ears were up high in alert, still. He found that there was something that he knew, and that nobody else knew, not even Aaron.

"Are you okay Conore?" Vector turned to him.

Conore didn't reply, but his ears settled, and he closed his mouth, relaxed. Realizing he was being talked to, he turned his head slightly towards Vector.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Conore said, closing his eyes.

Aaron also noticed, "Really? Cause you looked like you were about to fall over dead for a moment."

"I was." Conore admitted, and then sighed in relief.

-----------------------

Misty shifted to her fox form with wings, and flew faster than Espio, who was in his mutant form with wings spread out far more than Misty's. Just as Misty was about to pull in front of him to get to the creature, Espio let out a roar and shot out all six of the serpents that have struck Sonic before. They shot out fast and straight, but missed the creature by a foot. As the creature floated a bit, it was shaped like a hedgehog with two horns, and a whip like tail, along with large wings.

Misty snapped, "A Hedgoridon! But those aren't suppose to live around here in these regions."

"A what?" Espio turned to her.

A bad mistake. The so-called Hedgoridon swooped down and shoved its head into Espio's stomach, and drove him into the roof of the building, almost breaking the roof fully. A cloud of dust puffed up after the crash, and the flying creature came out from the cloud, and went to go after Misty. All that lied on the roof was Espio, wounded on the stomach from the horns it had. He didn't dare move, for his swollen stomach hurt worse than before he mutated for the first time.

Misty on the other hand tried to throw out many flamethrowers towards the creature to bur and slow it down. The creature moved like knife on butter, so slick and quick, you couldn't keep up.

"Stupid thing! Sit still for at least a second!" Misty complained.

The creature made a dive towards her, but Misty also dived, and made an underlining loop, to where she ended up above the creature as it still dove. Misty reared up and a fireball formed right in front of her mussel.

A shotgun busted into the air, and stopped her in her tracks.

The creature fell to the ground with a thump, and lied on the ground motionless.

"What te heck?" Misty said floating in air.

Misty glanced around for a moment, and spotted Conore outside the doorway, holding a large shotgun in his hands, and lowered it from shooting. His mind was so distressed, after what Misty nearly did made him scared.

-----------------------

"Conore?" Sonic called to him.

"I can't let those two take the chance." Conore said silently, "I can't risk it…"

"Risk what? A bullet to the forehead?" Shadow punned.

The fox stood still, his voice in mute.

Misty flew down and shifted to her hedgehog form, "Conore?"

He moved his head to face her, and a death glare creased his face. She only blinked at him in confusion, then her face changed, as if she finally understood what he was glaring for.

"Never, again." Conore growled silently, "Get inside."

"What about Espio?" Tails asked the two.

"Leave him." Conore said, turning around and walked to the doorway.

Their mouths dropped like anchors, Vector's especially. Conore only walked passed with his glare shut behind a content look, so no one knew that he was anger at Misty. They all watched as he went through the double doors, carrying his shotgun in his right hand around the scope and body, like a ghost.

"What's his problem?" Rouge asked.

"I swear! He was fine an hour ago." Aaron swore, "But now, it's like he just have been trying to keep a secret, and, well…"

"He's screwed up!" Espio's voice snapped behind the crowd.

They all turned to see Misty and Espio behind them. Espio's stomach of course, from the dive, was bloody, and Misty was his only support. He could barely breath, for the stab felt like it pierced through and punctured his lungs, and it's killing him.

"He's a god damn idiot!" Espio grudged.

Misty started to grow irritated, "He's always been that way."

Sonic blinked, and knew exactly what Espio, but it wasn't Conore to blame.

"It ain't Conore that's screwed up, it's that whore holding you up." Sonic stepped forward.

Misty stared at Sonic, shocked.

"She was the one that started this all! She was the one that made you a mutant! She was the one that cause all of us to nearly get killed! She's going to kill us all if she ain't gone in the next second!"

"Hey now! Means Espio's been turned into a mutant doesn't mean it's _all_ her fault!" Aaron rebelled.

"I agree!" Tails nodded.

"Shut up you two!" Sonic snapped, "And Tails! How could you, or all people?"

Misty growled, "Because I saved his ass! _I_ did!"

"No you didn't! You killed him!" Sonic snarled.

Shadow quickly jumped in front of Sonic, "Stop blaming everything on her!"

"You just move your plaque ass out of my way!" Sonic threatened, "Otherwise! I'll make sure you _will_ move!"

"Try me!" Shadow challenged.

"Nothing is going to happen!" Espio spoke, "Because since _I _am the reason everyone's fighting, I'm leaving!"

"Espio no!" Vector stood up, and started to run towards him.

"No! Leave me alone!" Espio hissed.

Vector stopped.

Espio shoved Misty, quickly she regained her balance, and started to walk back towards him "Espio, it's not-"

"Leave me alone!" Espio snarled.

Espio quickly shifted to his mutant form, and flew off in shame, his mind completely ruined, seeing that everyone started going against one another. Misty felt this was her fault, and shifted to her fox form with wings, and followed after him. Aaron, Vector, Cream, Tails and Rouge stared as the two flew off, and then headed back inside. Shadow, Sonic, and Amy were still left out standing.

"You're a real dick ya know?" Shadow growled as he walked off.

Amy quickly ran up and stood behind him, "Look, the only reason why I hated that black hedgehog was because you slept with her, and I'm not proud of it, but at least she forgets about it and continues on with her life. You on the other hand still have it nailed into your mind, and is blaming her for your seduction. It's not anyone's fault but yours!"

Sonic didn't move an inch.

"Fine! Ignore me! But Cream, Vector, and me are on our way back home! Conore does have a point! But you're too stubborn to even bother with."

Amy then stomped onward to the doors, and left Sonic standing alone, to only stare at the creature that lied on the ground, dead. He walked over, and took a quick look at it.

The eyes were closed, and the fur was a red close to black, and had some white markings. It had three horns, a whip-like tail with a feathery end, and claws about the side of his nose. Sonic stared at it more, and noticed, it looked a lot like him.

"Is this what I turn into? Only…opposite of what this is?" Sonic muttered to himself.

He knelt down, and took a closer look at it; it did look a lot like him. He stared, and slowly lightened up. He started to realize that it was his fault that this was happening. Everyone has now turned against him, and is now starting to split on everyone. He felt then, destroyed.

He was then shoved, right across and above the creature's body, and flew a few yards. He landed onto the ground, and slid a few more feet, and then stopped, rocks nailed into him like needles of despair, and couldn't feel his back afterward. He started to lift his body up, and sat up to see what shoved him so far. Five claws then unsheathed, and were pointed right at his throat, like if he moved; he was dead in a second. He lifted his head slightly, and found it was Conore in his were-fox form, pissed.

"Vector, Charmy, Amy, and Cream are headed back home." Conore told him, "Knuckles, Shadow, Tails, and Rouge are about to proceed to find Misty and Espio."

"What about you?" Sonic growled a little.

"Aaron and I will be in the forests." Conore arched his back a little, forcing Sonic to lean back more, "And if you dare follow us, you will pay for your mistakes."

Aaron was standing right behind Conore when he shifted into his werewolf form, and howled up at the moon, his inner wolf wanting to take over his body. Conore backed off, and stepped away from the blue hedgehog, who stared at them with gold eyes that stayed with him.

"I thought you were a fox Aaron!" Sonic snapped.

"I lied." Aaron growled, "I'm a wolf, and proud to be one!"

Both then howled, and ran onward towards the forests, their speed too quick for Sonic to turn his head and call to them. Before Sonic could tell them to wait, they were in the bushes, and a last howl came from both, then a series of howls, distant in the forest. Sonic started to grow scared with fear, he felt now, he was the hunted, and those two, were the hunters.

_This was a distressing moment, I couldn't bare the thought, and I can't even bare it now…_

_The howls. Those were the howls I heard! I never knew it was someone I knew, and I never knew, they could be so violent, and that will be explained later…_

_Misty though, I'm so happy that she followed me, otherwise, neither of us would be here now…_


	4. Wolves of Hell

**Chapter 4: **

**Wolves of Hell**

"Well, Knux, you see…" Tails started off, "Sonic kinda made Espio and Misty head off into one direction, then Conore and Aaron went to another, and Vector, Charmy, Cream, and Amy have went home."

"WHAT?" Knuckles shouted, "I was knocked out for only a fourth of the night to find everyone's split on us? You've got to be kidding me!"

"Nope, that's what they did." Rouge said.

"It's all Sonic's fault too." Shadow put in.

Knuckles continued to stare, "So what I'm being told that after I got my mussel nearly ripped off, and is currently knocked out for a few hours, I wake up to find that everyone is splitting because Sonic blamed everything on Misty?"

They nodded.

Knuckles growled, and leaped off of the bed, and stood before the three as if fully healed. Even though his mussel still hurt, he ignored it and focused on the real problem.

"Look," Knuckles spoke, "I don't care how much Sonic puts on his back, and I don't care that my mussel hurts, we're going after Espio!"

-----------------------

The misty air, the fogginess, the feel was like an after-the-rain touch, moist, still, and smells like the rain. Though the forest was silent and hardly any sounds were made except the crows of disturbance, the forest was a peaceful, but dangerous place. It was the forest where the wildest of wolves would roam, and it was also a curse zone to the werewolves, but yet so defying.

Misty flew with caution, losing Espio during the way in. The fog was think enough she couldn't see twenty feet below her, and out in front. She knew this forest, and after she heard the howls from a short distance, she was prepared for a nightmare. No sign of the chameleon anywhere though, and no sign of his tracings. The fact that people were starting to part worried her; she knew no one would last a minute on their own.

She heard wailing in the distance, and flew faster towards the sound. The sound though made her wonder if it was really he that she searched. Then she started to hear grunts and snarls, and as she flew closer, they got louder. She felt ready to turn around.

The mist cleared, and Espio was on a large branch, beating against the tree. Quickly she slowed up and hid behind another tree nearby, and made her wings disappear. She sat and listened to his cry of despair.

"Why!" Espio howled, "Why am I to be this way! Why am I the one to be the one that has to deal with this! Why am I the reason this all started! Why!"

He slid to his knees, his arms still on the truck, fists gripped, and his face filled with his own so-to-be faultiness. He cried, and he continued to cry, letting his tears fall down. He could stand the fact that he made everyone scared, and he couldn't stand that he nearly killed one of his own friends that's a brother to him. He couldn't stand the fact that he changed into something he couldn't control. And he couldn't stand the fact that he is the one to be blamed.

Misty knew how he felt deeply.

"I…I just can't live anymore." Espio cried, "Scaring everyone, nearly killing them, nearly put an end to their lives forever, and making Misty take the blame. It's all my fault."

Misty let down a tear of her own; she knew exactly how he felt.

Espio sat there, and on its own, on of the serpents stretched from his own skin, and lifted up to his eye level, and stared at him with blind eyes, but a silent hiss that Espio heard. Espio glanced over to see that it was the serpent he used against Sonic once before, it attached more closer to the center of his stomach than the other five.

The white fox tensed a little, not comfortable with the fact that one of his own serpents stretched on its own skin, and stared at him with only a small hiss to it. It wasn't common for a Serpent Stretcher to stretch on its own without the body controlling it.

Espio sighed, "But now I think of it, I…I guess there's a good side to it, and for every one of those, there a bad side to them."

The serpent continued to stare at him, though its horn wasn't visible.

Espio lowered his head again, "Life, it's hell."

The serpent heard Misty's presence and hissed viciously as it found her peaking behind the near tree behind Espio. Its horn became visible, and it jolted towards her head. Misty yelped, and leaped upwards to avoid the attack, and land on another branch upside down. The serpent snapped, but onto the tree trunk where Misty once was.

"Stupid thing!" Misty snapped, "Can't one make an entrance without being noticed and without being eaten alive?"

Espio spun his head around, "Misty?"

"Get that serpent where it belongs Espy! Before I jump and slice that head off! And you know how much a pinch hurts!" Misty warned.

Espio nodded, and the serpent returned to Espio's skin, and faded without a trace of its original placement. Quickly Misty calmed down, and landed back on the ground with cat-like reflexes, and landed on her feet. Espio stood up, and watched as she leaped over the large gap, and land on the side where Espio stood. She then stared at him from where she landed.

"None of this is your fault." Misty told him, "None of this, it's all because of the Kiroshioneze of the Light and Dark, so don't blame yourself for this."

Espio lowered his head, "But, my transformation, it won't ever leave my body again."

"Don't loose hope Espio." Misty walked close to him a few steps, "This is only the beginning, and you haven't seen anything yet. Who knows, there might actually be a cure!"

That cheered him up quickly; he lifted his head, and let a slight smile crease his face.

"Come on." Misty said, forming wings of fire, "I've got a two wolves to look for."

-----------------------

"Are you bloody insane!" Tails complained, "Do you even know where we are at all?"

"All I know is they went this way!" Sonic said, jumping over a log.

"We've already passed this log! We're going in circles!" Rouge growled.

"No, that has shrooms on it." Knuckles mentioned, "The other one didn't."

"We'll then, where are we?" Shadow asked him.

"We're more southwest than we are southeast." Tails looked at the moss on the log.

"Sure, and we're more lost than we are dead." The bat said with a grunt, "I love the darkness, but this is where I draw the line."

"What line?" Shadow asked with stupidity.

Rouge sighed, "It's a metaphor blackhead."

Knuckles glanced up at a tree trunk, and noticed mass of blood on it, "Yeah, can I ask what did this?"

"Dunno, but it's hard as a rock is all I know." Sonic said, trying to get away from the bloody tree.

"Um, no it's not." Tails circled the tree, "It's like, fresh, whatever did this must've been hungry as a-"

Before tails could finish, he tripped on a rock, and landed with a loud crunch of something breaking without too much pressure applied. Tails blinked a few times, and sat up, he sat there for a moment, then realized he was sitting on a pile of blood wet, fragile bones.

"ACK!" Tails shrieked with fear, "Get it off! Get it off! Get it oooooff!"

"Calm down Tails, sheesh." Sonic told him, "It's just bones."

"Are you kidding me?!" Tails freaked out, "If you trespass on one's property, and ruin one's food, you're screwed man! And I mean screwed! A few weeks ago, I had a wild cat chase after me for an hour just for accidentally kicking dirt on its food, this is TEN times worse!"

"Tails does have a point." Knuckles agreed.

Shadow was about to speak when several howls sang in the air; all were different in some way. The group silenced, and listened as the howling that echoed through the air, but no one noticed that the howling was starting to draw closer to them.

"We need to get moving." Sonic spoke over the howling, "Who knows what we'll end up with."

They all started walking again, and passed the tree with caution. The trees were thin as sticks, and the mist grew thicker, and the air grew grayer, and darker. Rouge stood by close to Knuckles for protection, Shadow just walked on his own to the side, and Tails followed Sonic, who led the group through the forest.

"Can we turn back now?" Tails asked silently, voice starting to crack a little with fear.

"No! If we're going after Espio, we're going to until we find him." Sonic said.

The howling stopped all at once, and it was quiet, too quiet.

"That's not good." Knuckles stated, "The air is way too still now."

Cracking noises started to come near, and grew louder. It was the sound of branches being broken from a distance. Sonic sped the pace up a little, and came to a rocky ledge that stood tall in front of them, and as they spun around, it grew smaller as it was more behind them.

"Dead end." Shadow said.

"Couldn't we have gone around?" Rouge asked.

"No, there's a cliff on the right, and thicker forest on the left, we couldn't really." Sonic said, looking around.

The cracking ceased, and it was quiet again.

"Something's here." Tails said, shivering, "This ain't good, something knows we're meat."

Multiple snarling noises then grew, and one by one, on the upper ledges, shadows appeared, and stared down at them, with the moon behind them, not full, but near full. Besides, there was already a full moon a few days ago. Sonic spun around, and as he looked at the ledges, more and more shadows appeared, backs arches, and were either snarling or growling.

"Behind us!" Rouge pointed out.

The five spun around and found three figures walked towards them on all fours, but massively big. The light of the moon though revealed what they were. Two of them on the sides were both wolves, on with pure gray fur, the other white with black markings, strangely familiar. The middle one was a two tailed fox, but more wolf-like, also with black markings.

Sonic's mouth dropped, "Conore? Aaron?"

The other four stared at Sonic.

"Um, can you explain what's going on?" Shadow growled at Sonic.

"Werewolves! A huge pack of them." Sonic said, watching the three in front of him.

"There's…" Tails started counting quickly, and some motioned their selves down the ledge, and closer to them, and Tails slowly grew frightened. He stopped counting, and his pupils nearly disappeared on the amount, "Twenty-seven werewolves."

"You're kidding." Rouge asked, putting herself in fighting position.

Conore raised his head, and howled. Six werewolves quickly leaped from the ledge, and surrounded the five even tighter, and started circling, including Conore, Aaron, and the other werewolf.

"Get in a circle." Knuckles advised, "That way we can see them all."

"We're gonna die." Tails whimpered.

Shadow quickly pulled Tails beside him, and made sure he didn't jitter near any of the wolves that circled them.

Sonic blinked, he had an idea, "Rouge, Tails, when I say now, you two fly upwards, and take care of some of the others on the ledge. Me, Shadow, and Knux here will take these guys on."

"Do you even know what will happen if you get scratched Sonic?" Tails quizzed him, "You'll end up one!"

"It's better then ending up dead." Sonic said, pinpointing Conore, "Now!"

Both Rouge and Tails quickly flew upwards, and two werewolves from the side leaped at them quickly, almost quick enough neither could make their kick. Rouge swung her leg around, and nailed the first attacker in the stomach, and it plummeted to the ground, and landed almost in the circle below them. Tails on the other hand just moved, and made one go into the circle.

Knuckles seen the wolf, and swung a punch at it, and smacked it in the face, shoving it in between two werewolves of black and gold. The whole pack then closed in on the three, and began the fight.

Sonic leaped out of the circle, and did everything in his power to keep the beasts away. He wanted though Conore, so he could beat his ass to the ground and make sure he got the message it was war. He swung a punch to the left, smacked a wolf on the side, but only pushed it a few feet. He swung to the right, and smacked another into the wall of rock. One though came up and nearly bit him on the arm, but bit his glove that he wore. Sonic struggled to jerk his hand out, but the wolf jerked him and threw him at the rock wall.

Knuckles swung his arms like a mad man, and made sure the werewolves kept at least a five feet radius away from him. Aaron was in his group, and charged at him. Knuckles swung his arm at the white and black wolf, but he leaped back a step, and bounced forward, and head butted him many feet away. Knuckles quickly got back on his feet before he landed on his back, and charged, and swayed another punch. But Aaron in return, leaped, and pinned Knux to a rock ledge, and mauled his right arm.

Shadow tried to use Chaos Control to warp him to get the others out, but the Chaos Emerald was swiped out of his hands, and flew over the ledge. Shadow, quickly flicked a kick to the swiping one, and made sure it hit two other werewolves just in front. He used more leg than arm, and then used more arm than leg. He kept his body above the werewolves' bodies, and made sure they were spread apart, so he could see every single one of them. Two came from behind, and slashed his back, and shoved him forward, to where he was surrounded by seven werewolves.

Rouge kept getting the high jumping ones, and they never stop, and they won't stop. Every kick she threw in air started to hurt. She figured it was because of their strong muscles they had in their abs, and it was starting to be a counter attack against her, instead of a regular attack against them. One werewolf was smarter than the others, and attacked her from behind her at her height, and body slammed her to the edge of the ridge, right next to a slab of rock pointed like a large dagger than she luckily missed.

Tails, basically flew higher, and hid there, spite the fact her was too scared to fight, his brain was playing tricks on his sight, and he felt he couldn't take the risk. He felt though he should take part, but he felt something toying within him, like to go against them from his point onward.

Without hearing a thing, he was being stalked. Conore climbed up the tree that Tails sat in, and climbed with silence, but was willing to make a deadly strike without a sound. The young fox though spotted him before though, and stood scared to stone. The way Conore's fur glowed against the moon's light, only made him look more fierce and dangerous, and made his fangs shine brightly. Tails backed up a few steps, but only after two steps did he feel his heel off the edge of the branch. He grew more scared, even though he knew he could fly.

Conore snarled, and started to maneuver closer to him, his claws piercing through the bark of the tree, and come out still in one piece. Tails edged more o the branched, to where both heels were hanging over. Conore then arched his back, about ready to leap at him, Tails didn't know what to do, if he flew, Conore would still nail him, and if he leaped on his own, the others below him would have the chance to leap and catch him a moment before he get the chance to fly. Either way, he was prey.

Conore snarled, and leaped at him. Tails' final thought was his life was over; it was the end of time.

-----------------------

"Tails!" Sonic shouted in fear, as he peaked through the crowd of werewolves that surrounded him.

-----------------------

Tails felt the claws pierce through his skin, and felt the wind behind his back, and felt the breath of Conore. He cried, the pain was unbearable, and the breeze made it no better. Both fell to the ground, but Conore drilled Tails into the rock ledge, and landed on top of him, still his claws in Tails' skin.

"Conore! Please!" Tails begged for his life, gripping Conore's thick wrists, "It's me! Tails! Get a hold of yourself! Before it's too late!"

The were-fox didn't hold off, and tightened his claws inward, hurting Tails more, and making more blood rush out. Tails knew he didn't have much time.

"Listen to me! Don't do this! You're a two-tailed fox that is a cousin of a black hedgehog! And you're a mastermind of machinery! Much more than Eggman!"

He noticed Conore's eyes, they were a burning red, but also noticed that he lightened up on the clutching. Whatever he said loosened him up a small bit.

"Please! For my life, for the other's life! Don't kill me!" Tails then started to cry in fear, "Please! You're like a brother I never met! You act a lot like me! You're the future me! I need you!"

Conore's snarling face then lightened, and he ceased snarling. Tails tried to see if Conore was actually snapping out of his savage rage, but only saw the red eyes turning a moonlight blue color. His sight then blocked on him, but he could still hear everything.

"Please…" Tails begged, "I…need you…"

His head started to spin a bit, and then he felt his heart stop beating. He then lost consciousness.

Conore blinked a few times, then shook his head into shape, his mind then snapped to normal. He got off of Tails, and knelt beside him, dizzy from the moment of being possessed, but by what. He glanced down at Tails, and seen the blood that trailed out from the claw marks and his mouth.

"Tails?" Conore stared with shock; he shook him, "Tails!"

Tails lied on the ledge motionless; Conore prayed he didn't kill him. He though believed he didn't, and focused his mind on the wolf war below him, where Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and Rouge fought for their lives.

-----------------------

"Sonic!" Shadow called to him, "You alright?"

"Barely…alive." Sonic tried to reply, struggling to get up.

Another werewolf swung and made Sonic fly into the rock wall, this time, making Sonic weak enough he couldn't move a bit, except to lift him up on his elbows. He then took a final glance at what was going to kill him, and closed his eyes. He knew he was done for.

Conore lifted his head and howled; calling to the pack to stop, stop attacking them. The werewolves fell silent, and stopped; they stood and pointed their heads at Conore, who howled for them to snap out of the procession.

The remaining four watched as the werewolves kept their sight on Conore. None moved. Sadly for Knux, it was still a painful moment. Another were-fox was on his other arm, gnawing on it. Knuckles glanced down, and found his chance to smack the fox off of him. He raised his arm, but then ceased to swing, for he noticed at its red eyes lifted to a light blue, and snapped from the procession. It moved a little, but only to look at what it was gnawing at. Quickly though, it released Knuckles, and strangely started spitting out some of the meat he just ate off of Knux.

"Ack1 Ewe! Echidna fur! Belch!" the male were-fox complained, "Echidna ain't my specialty!"

Knuckles then stared at the were-fox as if he was crazy.

Half of the werewolves that were there, listening to the howl, also had red eyes, but changed to their normal colors on them. The other half though, their eyes stayed red.

"Hellhounds!" One werewolf cried out.

"Huh? Hellhounds?" Rouge wondered.

In an instant, the werewolves charged and attacked the hellhounds. The hellhounds quickly went from their fake forms, to demonic black wolves that stood tall and fierce, thin, but quick and strong. The werewolves quickly turned against the hellhounds, and attacked them.

Sonic stared at Conore for moment, who stood on his two legs, and stared down at him, saying that he is glad to help him, but yet, he did warn him. Sonic then heard loud snarling, and spun his head around to find that all that were attacking him in the first place, were all hellhounds. Sonic raised his arm to block their attacks, as one raised an arm, ready to swing at the blue and bloody hedgehog.

"Fire one!"

The hellhounds looked up, but were then burned from above, and quickly backed away from Sonic as blue fire struck down from above. Sonic looked up, and found Misty just above him, blowing fire around him to keep the hellhounds away. She then quickly dropped, and smiled at him.

"So this is where you were at?" Misty grinned slightly, "No time to speak though, let's go!"

Sonic quickly stood up, although his wounds hurt, he got on Misty's back, and they flew to save Knuckles, who was given more time to live, thanks to Misty's fire.

Rouge and Shadow teamed up and fought off the black beasts away from they kept coming back to kill them for a fact. The beasts surrounded them first, on ground and above on the ledge. Rouge swung her left leg at one, then the right at another. Then one from above leaped down at them. Both glanced up to see it coming down.

A large creature though swooped in from the air, and nailed it into the rock wall behind the hound, and made sure it was dead by breaking the sternum in the chest, and ripping out its heart from the chest. Shadow felt drops of blood drop down on him from the heart that was torn, and his eye twitched a little. The massive creature then dropped down, and as it dropped, it shifted to a smaller figure that stood in front of the two as a chameleon. By the moonlight, Rouge seen it was Espio.

"Nice for you to drop in." Rouge laughed a little.

Espio turned his head slightly, and grinned evilly, "When I smell blood, I know."

Shadow stared at him, "Know what?"

The hounds started to back off, and were on the run, the werewolves kept pushing them away, and soon, they all ran away, leaving them in peace. Shadow, Espio, and Rouge lightened up, and seen that there were few werewolves around.

"Alright! They're gone!" Rouge cheered.

"Except one! Look!" Espio pointed upwards.

He leaped to the left, then a right, then two lefts, and another right. Conore tried dodging every move that one hellhound was thrashing upon him. The hellhound he once knew was Aaron. The gang quickly climbed up the rocks to see Conore and Aaron as a hellhound fight with one another non-stop. Sonic watched for a bit, but then seen a twinkle in the corner of his eye, turned, and seen hat Tails lied on the ledge nearby.

"Tails!" Sonic cried.

He ran over and knelt beside him, whom's blood only started to dry. Sonic tried shaking him to wake up, but no success. He snapped his fingers, punched him in the arm, bit him on the arm, everything he tried failed. Was he really dead?

"Sonic, leave him with Knux and Shadow." Espio told him, "They'll stay here and watch him, and right now we have something more important!"

Espio quickly ran off, following Rouge and Misty, who followed Conore and Aaron. He stared down at Tails for a moment, and ran off, following Espio, trusting the two to watch after Tails.

-----------------------

Conore and Hellhound Aaron fought as they ran, Aaron tried to swipe, Conore tried to bite. They did whatever they could against one another, but, even before, Aaron was almost as good as Conore, and becoming a hellhound was nothing good that helped on Conore's side. Both leaped over a large trunk, and Aaron made an attempt at making a double jump, and nailing Conore to the ground, but Conore thought ahead and bounced forward on the trunk's side to gain distance ahead of him.

The others tried to keep up, Misty in the lead, followed by Espio, Sonic, then Rouge. The four were determined to help Conore out with Aaron, but the two were too fast to even keep the same distance, they were just too quick on their feet.

The two came to a cliff, where the other side was a long ways away from the side they stood on. Aaron made another swipe, but missed as Conore leaned back, but leaned too far, almost losing his balance and missed gripping the edge of the cliff, and rolled over almost off of the ledge. Quickly he swung his leg up and dodged another attack of Aaron's, then made the attempt or swiping at him, but Aaron took off running along side the ledge.

Misty popped out a few seconds later, then Espio, and the other two popped out, and also ran along the edge, but only for a short time. They all stopped as Aaron made a long jump to the other side of the cliff, which seemed to have been at least forty yards across the gap in between ledges. Conore, though doubting his jumping ability, also made the attempt to leap across.

"Can Conore really jump that far?" Sonic questioned.

"Dunno, kinda depends." Misty started to grow worried.

"I don't need to know that another nearly died again." Rouge sighed.

Conore landed on the edge of the rocky side, and caught himself just before his body slipped to the pit below, which seemed to go down forever. He struggled again to get up back onto the ledge, and fight Aaron, but his grip was failing, and he tried using his feet to keep him up. Aaron though ran over, and gave the were-fox a death glare, one Conore didn't like at all from the Hellhounds. This made Conore stop his footwork, and also gave Aaron the chance to make him slip.

He bit his arm, and Conore lost hold of the edge. Quickly though, he tacked his claws into the wolf's shoulder, and hung like a magnet. Using Aaron as a new support, he lifted his body, and was able to get on foot on the ledge, then the other. Aaron let out a howl as he moved onto the edge, and cried as Conore still had a hold of his shoulders. He released Aaron, and for proving dominance, he swiped the wolf's face several times, the fifth time, he spun around to make a donkey kick, but a cry for help came behind him just before he prepared for the kick. He spun around, and found that Aaron was gone, no sign of him showed where he went.

"He went through the bushes!" Sonic directed him.

Conore spun his head towards Sonic, and nodded, Misty though knew this had to stop somewhere.

"No! Conore, don't!" Misty told him, "He's gone! Leave him for tonight."

Conore spun his head around again, and looked at Misty with eyes that said but I can't. It then grew silent, and all that made sound was the wind cooling the heat down from their bodies and mind.

_That night, I realized that if we split, and we run crazy, we'll all die in an instant, Tails was a close example, and so was Aaron, in a way…_

_I just couldn't control my other side, it was starting to overtake me again, and I'm drawing the line, next time, someone's going to shoot me, I don't want to put my friends in anymore danger. But then, Misty would then stride alone, after about four years since we last seen each other, what's the point? Without her, I wouldn't be here now; actually, I would've never been here for about four to five years…_

_Last thought though, what are these black creatures that roam here? These Hellhounds…_


	5. Problems Again

**Chapter 5: **

**Problems Again**

"Okay, this is where I get lost." Sonic scratched his head, "What makes you a Hellhound?"

Back at the town urgent care, Tails was brought right back to normal health, and was doing fine after about thirty minutes. The rest though were still partly injured. They also wanted questions answered.

"They leave a odorless scent." Marie sighed, "This scent is toxic to the mind, it's also a curse. After about an hour after smelling it, or breathing it in as a ware, first your eyes turn to a bloody red, then your whole body just shifts into a black dog of hell."

"The Dark's work I bet." Knuckles growled.

"Their newest work too." Marie stated, "I'm surprised that they were capable of making these, it's difficult to take a controlling spell and make the victim turn at almost the same time."

"And turn chameleons to blood crazed mutants." Shadow muttered.

Espio turned his head and gave Shadow a deadly glare.

"That's not all they can do." Marie raised a finger, "Remember one of your missions? Conore and Misty?"

Misty quickly slouched to the ground, "It was a nightmare. The things would like, jump out of your chest and go and kill you that second."

Tails grew a sick face, "Sick…"

"That's after your face got sucked on." Conore added.

Sonic started to tense up, "Anything else?"

Misty lowered her head, "That's not the worst though, that's getting lucky."

"What in the world is worse than dying?" Knuckles waved his wrapped up arms, "Honestly! What's worse?"

The two stayed silent.

"Come on! Give us something!"

"Okay then!" Conore growled, "How about for us men growing a huge, big ass-"

Misty quickly slapped her hand on Conore's mouth, "Okay! We're waaaay off subject! Besides Tails doesn't need to know yet."

Knuckles then stared at Conore for a long time with a blank expression. Espio sat and thought about what Conore was about to finish off with, after a few seconds, his mind clicked, and he quickly felt sick.

"You're kidding?" Espio flinched.

Misty slapped her face, "Grrrrr!"

Conore shook his head. Espio then fell onto a chair next to him, feeling sicker. Sonic was about to do the same thing, but Tails was in the way. Shadow just stood blankly, and Knuckles lowered his head and shook lightly.

"Anyhow…" Marie spoke, "The only way we'll be able to cure Aaron, is during the day, when he's not a Hellhound."

"How can we do that when we're scared to even breathe?" Sonic muttered.

Marie stared up at Conore and glared at him.

"What?" Conore shrugged, "I've seen it! And so has Misty!"

In anger, Misty spun around and kicked him in the crotch. Conore shouted out in pain, and fell to the floor, motionless.

"That's for going too far from the problem." Misty grumbled, "Let's go ahead and take a ten minute break, we should then be back on our feet."

"I dun think Conore will be." Rouge pointed out.

"He'll be fine." Marie waved, "He's usually up and moving around ten minutes anyhow."

"Actually, I kicked more to the left." Misty mentioned.

"Make that a half hour." Marie restated.

They all sighed with grief. Irritation was starting to become a common thing between them all now.

---------------

About forty minutes later, they got back on business and concentrated on Aaron, who was running on the loose. Luckily, it was the brink of morning. Sadly, they didn't get much sleep.

Sonic scratched his head, "So what's a Hellhound?"

They turned and stared at him. Marie glared, "Do I have to explain all of what I said forty minutes ago again?"

"Yes, you do." Sonic nodded.

"Hellhounds are demonic werewolves," Conore started, "They're normal by day and shift by night, at night, they're nothing to mess with."

"You had seen Conore nearly kill himself just going after him." Shadow growled at Sonic.

"They're what is known as true Shadow-Back Wares." Conore stated.

Knuckles glanced up, "Aren't you a Shadow-Back then?"

Conore nodded.

"Then shouldn't you be shifting too?" Rouge asked him.

"That's what's actually different," Misty spoke, "His father was one, and so as his son, he only inherits the better side of them."

"In a way." Marie finished, "Look, we need to focus dang it!"

They turned to Marie.

"Like Conore said, normal by day, shift by night, so right now would be a good time to go and find him."

"But isn't it kinda dark out?" Knuckles asked.

"Oh yeah." Misty grieved.

Conore smiled, "Unless I shift, you'll be dead, yeah, but hey, we're _all _going to look for him."

"What about Tails?" Sonic asked.

Conore's ears fell back, "You know what I mean pill-head."

"One question." Rouge spoke, "Where's Espio?"

Misty sighed, shifted, and started walking down a hallway, "Probably scavenging for blood to feast on. I'll go and find him."

Just as she finished, some rattling sounds echoed nearby, and Misty paused and spun her head around. Sonic also turned his head, but found hands grip his shoulders, then immense weight shoved him downwards as feet stomped where the hands used to be. Sonic thought his knees broke and he felt forward and landed flat faced on the ground, inches from the desk that was near him.

He lastly heard Shadow's voice, "Damn it Espio! Do I look like that slut over there!"

Sonic wanted to get up, and was about ready to, until he felt someone smack his head from behind and knocked him out.

------------------------

About an hour later, Sonic woke, blinking a little, and listened to see if anyone was around. No voices though were around, and the room he was in was where he'd stayed since he'd got knocked out, and it was empty with him in it.

He found blood on the floor, which must have been from when he was smacked, but by whom?

He then found a note placed beside him, with a signature that displayed some beauty in it. He grabbed it and scanned it.

_Dear Sonic,_

_Went looking after Aaron, Misty, and Espio, all three are in the forest._

_I knocked you out because Espio doesn't go after his victims once they're knocked out, and he landed on Shadow to bounce back after you, I couldn't risk you being bit again, otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this._

_Tails is back in the room where Espio was held; he's alive and well, if you want to see him._

_Stay here, I don't want you to be next to become lost and turned to a ware without warning._

_Will return around five._

_Conore W._

Sonic sighed, "That sucks…"

"What does?" a light voice asked.

Sonic turned his head, and seen his most faithful fox standing there with a neck cast, and many patched up wounds on him, and wraps around his head, indicating some head damage. Tails definitely took the most damage from that fight.

"Well…" Sonic took a breath, "First, Aaron's a Hellhound, and they're out looking for him, and second, I guess Espio got on the loose again, and dragged Misty with him. So now I'm left here with you."

"What about those biker people?" Tails asked stepping closer.

"They've must have taken off." Sonic responded standing up, "I haven't seen them around at all."

"We should probably go after the others while we still can." Tails said glancing up at the clock.

"They'll be back in another half hour." Sonic shook his head, "It's about four thirty, and so, we'll wait."

Tails nodded in agreement, "Is there any food here though, I'm starving!"

--------------------------

They've walked for about two hours, and still no sign of any of the three have shown, this was starting to look bad.

The forest was luckily well lit, and the birds that filled the trees were capable of keeping the forest from being so dead, which was a advantage to a point.

Conore leaped onto a nearby log that cocked upwards, and howled with his nose held high, as he stood in his werefox form. His black markings showed like spatters of white on black, and also indicated fierceness, because of how black they were.

"Okay, I give up!" Rouge growled, "We've searched everywhere for those three, and nothing showed up to tell us where they went."

Shadow kept silent, but glared at Conore.

Knuckles took notice of Shadow's expression, "What's wrong blackhead?"

"It's all Sonic's fault." Shadow growled, "It's all his fault for all of this happened, and that we're stuck with a slut and a mutt."

Conore heard, and gave him a deadly glare, his blue eyes shooting to darkness. Shadow stared back, not willing to take back his word.

"I stand by what I said." Shadow growled.

"Well at least you're not the one that has to go and face the fact that you're always being watched." Conore said, his ears falling back and flat.

Shadow turned his head away, "Like I'm being watched."

Knuckles then punched him in the back, and made sure he fell onto a rock with his arm landing first. Shadow yelped in pain, and gripped his arm, trying to keep himself calm and from trying to complain so much, it hurt enough.

"You're watched by moi here." Knuckles smiled.

In the distance a howl of another ware echoed in the distance. Conore turned his head towards the sound, and howled again in reply, and made sure it was for him.

The same howl came again, and it was for him.

"Let's go!" Conore snapped, bolting to the left like a bullet.

"Hey! Wait up!" Rouge called, taking flight after him.

Knuckles followed Rouge, and Shadow slowly followed, his arm hurting still.

Conore ran like an athlete, only much faster, Rouge and Knux were able to keep up from behind, and Shadow tailed him, but held his arm with a death grip, it seemed useless, no thanks to Knuckles.

There was a clearing ahead, and in it was a wolfish figure in the distance, a look-alike of Aaron, but instead of black markings, they were a blood red color on the silver coat. Conore came to a screeching halt, and stood about ten yards away, staring at the ware with a bit of irritation.

"Why you?" Conore growled.

The wolf pointed down, "Cause I found him. Aaron looks like hell man!"

Shadow came stumbling in and falling on his back after tripping over a small stick that was stuck on both ends in the ground. Rouge and Knuckles landed and stood in front of Shadow.

"Is he at least in one piece?" Conore perked his ears up.

"You tell me man…" The wolf pointed downwards again.

Conore sighed, "Does he at least have all of his limbs on?"

"Yeah man." The wolf nodded, "But he looks like crap, like he's just been through a shredder."

Shadow decided to walk over and glance at Aaron, who he seen bloody and what the wolf stated, seemed to look like he's been through a shredder.

"Gesh, he does." Shadow commented.

"I have to ask." Knuckles spoke up, "Who are you again?"

"I'm the one you nearly got mauled by." The wolf laughed.

Knuckles tensed "You?"

He smiled big, "I do apologize but it ain't my fault that the pack kicked me out."

Conore flicked his head up away from Aaron, "How?"

"The stupid pack said I wasn't worthy." The wolf growled, "They got a new leader."

"You mean Old Joe died?" Conore said with disappointment.

"By the one who's the alpha now." The wolf nodded, "And the pack's plannin' on taking over this part of the forest."

"Okay, so, what are you?" Rouge stepped forward.

"To start, I'm Zamire." He introduced, "A werewolf, and a old bud of Conore's."

"Care to explain Conore." Shadow growled.

Conore flicked his head at the black hedgehog, and gave him a scowling face.

"We need to get Aaron back, don't we?" Knuckles reminded.

"I'll help if ya want." Zamire offered.

-----------------------

Sonic sat, and stared at Tails, "I thought you were okay?"

"Well," Tails started, "When you were knocked out, Espio lunged at me, and, well, it was horrid. It took forever before they finally got him off of me, and then he tackled Misty through the doors, then Marie took me and aided me. That's all I remember."

"Did Conore really knock me out?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah." Tails nodded, "I also kinda figured Espio would lunge at you if you were still standing in front of moi."

Sonic's ears fell back, "Ever since Eggman's ship exploded, I kinda figured that there was still something that gave the scent of him still lingering. I just never knew it would be like this…"

"Hey!" Tails' ears went up, "When Chaos was destroyed, where did Eggman even go?"

Sonic shrugged, "Probably made a run for it, knowing that we'd defeat Chaos."

"And now, with Espio, a chameleon and mutant…" Tails lowered his head, "I can't imagine how he can somewhat handle his form."

"I can't imagine him and Misty kept a solemn vow to one another for almost four years." Sonic gritted his teeth, "It's just unlike him."

"I also noticed." Tails blinked, "You know when Conore shot that thing in the sky? How he talked to Misty, his eyes narrow, and his voice spoke with secrecy and anger?"

"You were around when that happened?" Sonic stared at him.

Tails rolled his eyes, "Never mind, but, I strangely was able to hear a conversation they had."

Sonic sat up, "I'm listening."

"Well," Tails turned his head slightly, "They were talking about something that Misty was about to nearly do, and that she was lucky it didn't continue forth, otherwise, we'd all be doomed."

Sonic twitched a little, "Probably just going pyromaniac maybe."

Tails shook his head, "Her eyes turned exactly like Espio's eyes when he became a mutant."

Sonic's face turned a bit more of a lighter color, "Do you think, really, she could be a…"

"Mutant too?" Tails finished, "I don't know."

"I'll keep that in thought though." Sonic said, "I would though would have to be able to find out without them knowing I was there."

"Them?" Tails raised an eyebrow.

"Conore and her." Sonic said.

"That's another thing." Tails raised a finger, "Does Aaron know?"

"I don't think so." Sonic said, "I really don't think so."

"Hmmmm." Tails sighed.

The two sat in silence, curious of the three that has newly entered their lives. Sonic knew he was doomed, if he'd just made out with a female mutant and didn't realize it. Especially, if it's a shape shifting, telepathic, sly mutant, that's capable of probably killing anyone around her. He started to figure things were about to get real dangerous, just by the way things are going. Along with the fact, Espio's a mutant that has the violent episodes, and really can't control them. The blue hedgehog shivered.

The door then smacked open, and both leaped in astonishment. In walked in Rouge first, then Shadow, who scurried quickly to the men's room, then the white and red wolf carrying Aaron's upper body, then Conore, carrying the lower, and then Knuckles, who guarded their backs. Aaron was laid on the floor in front of Sonic, and both Conore and the white wolf shifted to normal. The white and red wolf shifted, but was still white with red markings on the tip of his ears and bangs, but that was it.

"See you found him." Sonic smiled, "Is he gonna be okay?"

"Unless we get him cured before sunset, he'll be fine," Knuckles answered, "otherwise, he'll shift back to a Hellhound and kill us all right off the bat."

Tails rolled his eyes, "Wonderful."

"What about Misty and Espio? And Marie?" Sonic asked.

"Marie and her sis went looking for them," Conore answered, "I'm sure they'll return before sunset."

"What about the cure? For Aaron?" Rouge spoke, "I thought Marie was going to prepare something?"

The white and red wolf lifted up an injection, "Right here!"

Conore stared at the wolf, "When do you carry a cure?"

"Just in case any of those bastards get a mile near me." Zamire growled, "I'm prepared."

"Um, Conore, I have a question." Sonic spoke, standing up.

Tails' face went from curiosity, to a don't-you-dare-ask expression, Sonic knew too, but had to ask, otherwise his head will still be focused on the thought no matter what.

"Yeah? What?" Conore gave a quick glanced at Sonic.

"Besides Espio…" Sonic started, "Do you know anyone else that's a mutant."

Conore's ears fell back in irritation, "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering." Sonic said.

It was a long pause, while Zamire injected Aaron, who lay unconscious. No one spoke, and no answer was given. Conore kept his head low, and then lifted it back up.

"Yeah, I do." Conore sighed.

_Yes! He's going to admit it! I know it!_ Sonic thought

"A girl I knew a while back. She was my date for a while." Conore turned his head away.

Sonic's expression faded from the excitement he was in, and then realized, it wasn't Misty. He was wrong.

"I loved her as if she was a sister." Conore sighed, "But when she was attacked, I had to shoot her down."

Rouge jumped a little, "You shot her?"

"Who now?" Sonic asked him.

Conore gave him a glare, "No one you know, and I promised I wouldn't ever speak her name."

Sonic gritted his teeth and let a small growl run through his throat.

_Stupid fox. _

Conore looked at Rouge, his eyes filled with what seemed like anger, "If I didn't, none of you would be standing here, knowing you were now part of a war."

"Huh?" Knuckles flicked on, "A war? What war?"

Conore shook his head. "Never mind."

"Okay." Zamire spoke, "We've got an hour for this to cure him, and we've got that much time until the sun sets."

----------------------

She opened her eyes slowly, and found herself lying right next to Espio, who slept quietly and calmly. She sat up, and looked around, seeing they were back in the treetops again, and were sleeping in a hole in the tree. Classic was her first thought.

She still was covered, that was another thought, a good one. Then she looked back, and seen Espio was in his mutant form.

_Crap…_ was Misty's third thought, _if I don't get him normal and out of here in the next half hour, we're both screwed._

She went to stand up, and then heard a hissing sound right behind her. She figured it was Espio waking up, and she quickly lied back down, but landed on top of one of Espio's serpents. As she landed, it's jaws were wide open, and the fangs that were revealed stabbed into her back, then chomped onto one of her lower quills, which were very sensitive.

_Oh…my…gooooooooood!_ Misty gritted her teeth, with her screaming in pain in her head, trying not to shout in pain out loud. _This flipping HURTS!_

Misty quickly sat up, and pinched the serpent right behind the head, and it released her, sucking back into Espio's skin, then disappeared. She rubbed her wounded quill, and healed it, though it was still sore.

"I need to get a shock collar." Misty said to herself.

There was then a rustle in the leaves ahead of her. She didn't care then, and stood up, her heel touching the chameleon's body, and her eyes focused on the source of the sound. A black fox creature jumped down from the top of the trees, and started dashing towards her.

_ACK! Hellhound!_

Misty quickly kicked Espio behind her, right on the chest, then bolted out of the hole. Espio screeched with pain, for the soreness from the past injection. He blinked, only then found snarling roar up beside him, and then immense weight collapsed on him. He snarled and fought his way to stand, but the Hellhound clung to his back like a tick, and wouldn't let go. Espio tried his hardest to get up and smash the creature off of him, flopping, squirming, and struggled, only then to be pinned by another, who stabbed its claws into this head.

Misty bolted back in with whips of fire, one original fire, and the other blue. She swung them around and smacked both of them across the face, making them release Espio, and go after her.

She grinned, "Come and get me."

The two Hellhounds shot at her like bullets of darkness, their red eyes leering with evil, and their claws glistened against the setting sun with death. Misty then brought out what seemed to look like, a watch. Espio struggled up and watched as Misty tapped the watch, and the wolves screeched to a stop, and their eyes faded to white.

"Get out of the way Espio." Misty warned.

Espio shifted to normal, and scuttled out of the way, then stood behind her, and watched the creatures stare at her with fear. Misty lifted her thumb up, and the wolves began to whine and tried to run the other way to get away from her. Misty then slammed her finger on the watch, and the wolves quickly were sent through a portal of blue and black, where they weren't ever seen.

The portal swirled for a moment, then closed, leaving a white mist looking cloud behind. Misty walked up, and waved her hand in it, as if she was trying to pull something in. The white mist quickly formed into a jewel, and it landed right into her hand with the color of her blood drenched eyes, that stared at it with joy. Espio stared at her though as if she was an evil demon of hell, and let out a small growl.

Misty spun around and smiled, "Got a problem sweetie?"

"Yeah." Espio growled, "What was that all about?"

"It's my secret weapon." Misty grinned evilly, "It's called the Watch of Cursed Time. One tap warns your enemy of their doom, a second reveals a portal, and they have the choice of death or my way. A third tap makes the portal a black hole, and they have no choice but to suffer."

Espio arched his back, his eyes narrow, "How dare you carry such an evil thing with you."

Misty shrugged, "They weren't _exactly_ sent to death, just back where they came from."

"Which is." Espio growled deeper.

"The SinVice Turret." Misty said, turning towards the exit, putting her whips away, "It's the homeland of the Kiroshioneze of the Dark, no mortal can enter, for their soul is destroyed, and they instantly become evil once they set foot on the tower's grounds."

Espio took a gulp, lightening up, "How do you know this?"

"Marie knows all." Misty said, "She's done a lot of studies about it, and trust me, it's something you'd have to see to believe."

She put the watch near her necklace, and it faded away the particles drawing into the middle of the charm, and disappeared. She brushed herself then started to walk out.

"Wait!" Espio quickly snagged her hand, and pulled her back by him, "Shouldn't we wait until morning?"

"How do you think those Hellhounds found us?" Misty rumbled, "We're going to move on, besides, we don't know if the others are okay, no thanks to you."

"I can't help it!" Espio snapped, "I don't know what's happening to me! I mean, I pass out, then the next thing I know, someone's been nearly killed!"

Misty sighed, and started walking, "Come on…"

----------------------

"YIPE!" Aaron barked, his body leaping up about a foot off the floor in shock.

"Oh my god Aaron! You're alive!" Zamire grinned happily, "Dude! We were like, worried about ya man."

"What the hell happened?" Aaron said, rubbing his head, "Last thing I remember, Conore attacked me like a rabid crazy maniac out of hell. His eyes blinked red, and that's when I thought I was going to die."

"Oops." Conore laid his ears back.

"Well, at least you're okay." Rouge said, standing by him, smiling.

They heard the doors open, and in came Marie and Hikarari, both breathing in and out heavily. And their echidna heads drooped down at the floor.

"Hey gals." Sonic said, lifting his head up.

"What's goin' on man?" Aaron asked.

"Would you believe me if I told you there was a Snow Echoridon outside?" Marie said.

Conore, Aaron, and Zamire's mouths dropped like rocks, their eyes wide open.

"Aren't those, poisonous?" Zamire asked, "And when I say that, I mean once you're bit, you die in five minutes kind of poisonous. And, why in the world are they out? It's not winter at all!"

_Misty never ceases to somehow, piss me off, and nor does Sonic sometimes, but I was really started to get annoyed with the fact that we were in for something bad, and I mean real bad. For some reason though, my mutant side of me has been giving me nightmares of me, well, you know…_


	6. Gone Missing

**Chapter 6: **

**Gone Missing**

Misty stared back at Espio, "You never cease to piss _me_ off sometimes, ya know?"

Espio growled, "How dare you read my mind…"

The black hedgehog grinned, "Oh do I dare, but look, it ain't my fault, nor my problem, so deal with it."

Espio tried to relax, but he felt his mind drift off a little. He blinked, and found his sight blurred a little, it was happening again. All he could see was the blurry movements of Misty's arm rising upwards, and then coming back down, and then heard a loud smack, and a stinging pain struck his cheek. Espio barked in pain, and rubbed his face, his sight clearing, seeing Misty staring at him again.

"Thanks." Espio growled, "And besides, how do you know what it feels like being a mutant!"

"I have friends." Misty turned her head, "And I don't plan on mentioning any names at all."

"Like your friend, Jared." Espio reminded her.

The black hedgehog spun around her face flipping from calm, to astonishment, "How in hell did you know Jared!"

"He was killed by that mutant cretin six years ago!" The chameleon snapped, "That bastard killed _my _family too!"

Misty grew angry, "Why are you bringing that up? What's done is done, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Espio's eyes flicked from normal gold to a slim pupil of a snake, and fangs quickly unsheathed from his mouth. He leaped at her, and tackled her down on the branch, and gripped her with his claws, while the hedgehog didn't do a thing.

"The life you had is nothing compared to mine Espio." Misty growled.

Espio relaxed only a bit, but kept a firm grip on her, "How's that?"

"Let me start off with this, I've traveled alone for seven years straight, ever since I was six, during that time, I've been mutilated by savage creatures, burned, nearly drowned, nearly killed by police and SWAT, nearly killed my own cousin, my cousin nearly killing me, risking my life for other's that don't deserve to live…"

"Enough!" Espio snarled, "You're still no match with my life."

"Then answer this." Misty gripped his wrist, feeling the grip getting tighter around her neck, "When in your life have you felt so alone, that you nearly killed yourself by throwing yourself off a cliff, but managed to live, and realized that you can't be killed on your own? But yet you lie there almost lifeless because of the amount of blood you lost?"

Espio stared at her, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Cause that what we both did once." Misty said, closing her eyes.

Espio froze, "What?"

"You wouldn't remember at all." Misty said, "That was before I rescued you, and before we had those classes together, and before the vow."

Espio sat up and released her, "I did that?"

Misty sat up, rubbing her neck in pain, "I can see a person's past when their mind is in too much of rage to think, it's an easy gateway to getting out of being killed."

Espio 's eyes turned back to gold, and his fangs disappeared, but the claws were still on his fingertips. He lowered his head, and leaned against the trunk of the tree, "I, Espio, would've committed suicide? When?"

"When you were ten." Misty said, sitting cross-legged, "we both did, but the FBI got a hold of you instead of me."

"At the same place?"

"A mile apart." Misty said.

The chameleon gripped his wrists, "I don't remember though."

"They erased your memory." Misty stated, "The only reason why you remember your parents' death is because the killer was right in front of your face."

"Mince…" Espio growled, his claws piercing through his skin, "That bastard."

"Why did you all of a sudden get so pissed anyways?" Misty asked.

Espio didn't say anything, but pierced his skin, and blood slowly dripped down his arm. His eyes shut, and he sat there, shaking.

"Espio?" Misty cocked her head.

"I need to talk to you when we get back to the village." Espio said quietly, "It's about a dream I had, I'm scared."

----------------------

The three wares leaped around the white snake and echidna mix, a look alike of Medusa, but more vicious, and more difficult to handle. Zamire tried his hardest to get a hold of the rear dreadlocks of the creature, but it kept spinning around and snapping at him, nearly biting his hand. Conore and Aaron though tried to keep it distracted so Zamire could without harm.

"One question!" Aaron barked, leaping from being whipped by the creature's tail, "Why is there a Snow Echoridon roaming around in summer?"

"Yeah!" Conore yelped, sprinting to the side to avoid being smacked, "I really have no clue!"

Marie came charging from behind Zamire, and jerked his body backwards, and quickly grabbed a hold of the dreadlocks, and stabbed the creature's spine with her machete knife and twisting it. The creature screeched with all of its might, and gave Conore and Aaron the opportunity to knock it out.

"I'll get it!" Sonic hollered.

Sonic bolted in front of the two and gave the creature a swift sidekick into the jawbone of the creature, and stomped on its tail. The white snake mix let out a final cry, and then fell with Marie on the side, behind its head, and yanking the machete out of it's back, blood spilling out.

Conore and Aaron stared at Sonic with irritation, Aaron's silver eyes staring him down, "You're not always the hero you know."

"I know." Sonic smiled, "But being a hero feels good."

Knuckles shook his head, "Meet Sonic, the next Spider-hog."

Sonic spun around and stared at Knuckles, "Meet Knuckles, the next gangster of redheads."

"Would you two just quit it?" Shadow barked.

"And meet Shadow, the next flightless, dim-witted Bat-hog." Tails commented.

Rouge shook her head, "Boys, always stupid."

Zamire, Aaron, and Conore glanced at Rouge, their ears flicked up. Rouge then looked and seen the guys' faces.

"At least you're smarter than these idiots…" Rouge mentioned.

"Heya, I'm gonna go now." Zamire said.

Conore nodded, "Kay, I'll see ya around."

"Um, wait." Zamire stopped and spun around, "Where's your pack?"

The group went silent, except Sonic, "You have a pack?"

Conore ignored him, "They're around the Surfaine Plains, last time I was with 'em. But we usually hang around Armagen Forest too."

"What is it called again?" Zamire asked, "And would Old Kinouie let me in?"

"The Armageddon Pack." Conore answered, "And yes, just tell him you know Conore, Aaron, and Ricky, and he'll let ya in."

Zamire winked and waved, "Thanks man, I owe you one!"

The wolf ran off, and howled in good-bye. The group continued to stared at Conore and Aaron, not knowing Marie and her sister took off with the wolf.

"The Armageddon Pack?" Tails cocked his head.

"It's a really long story." Aaron said, "Well I'm headed to bed if you people don't mind."

"Yeah, we all should." Rouge agreed, "Come on blackhead…"

Rouge quickly grabbed on of Shadow's ears and dragged him towards the entrance, as he complained and cried in pain, for his ears were very tender. Sonic shrugged and followed, leaving Tails and Conore to stand outside.

Tails was curious, like always, "What is the Armageddon Pack?"

"The pack I grew up with." Conore said, "I was about seven when they took me in, knowing my mother, Old Kinouie treated me like his son."

"So is that how you became a were-fox?" Tails asked, staring up in awe.

"No," Conore shook his head, "I was born one."

The fox then lifted his arm, and pulled back his sleeve, and turned his arm slightly, revealing a deep scar the size of his hand. Tails jumped in shock, amazed at how big the scar was, and how deep it was.

"Gee!" Tails yelped.

"This is my birthmark, to be exact." Conore said, "But it's so bad, it looks like a scar from being attacked by a werewolf."

"One last question." Tails said as the teen fox started walking away to the urgent care entrance, "What is it like?"

The fox turned his head, "What do you mean?"

"What does it feel like? To be a were-fox?" Tails raised his ears higher.

Conore sighed, and let a small grin crease his face, "The power, after going through four moon phases, it's unimaginable."

"Like how?" Tails stepped closer, seeing the small grin.

Conore laughed a little evil like, "I can't describe it, but it's amazing."

The fox then trailed off towards the entrance, chuckling still. Tails then started to feel that there was something wrong. He's only known the fox for a few days, and already he could sense it wasn't like him to laugh a bit evil like. He sighed, and walked to the entrance, a bit crept out.

----------------------

It grew dark, then the forest got mistier, and the ground slowly grew wet. It was now Hellhound condition, but not in range. The two kept walking, haven't saying a word since they left. Both noticed though it was dark, and that the village wasn't for another two miles.

"Lets stop." Espio said, "It is dark anyways."

Misty stopped and glanced at the chameleon, "True."

The chameleon spotted a trunk with a hole and started jogging towards it, Misty following behind. He inspected the tree, seeing nothing, and then waved Misty in and he crawled in.

"Okay." Misty said pulling her legs in, "Since we're not at the village, what is it?"

Espio sighed, "I had this dream. It included you."

"Yes?" Misty said, "I'm listening."

"Well, here's how it went." Espio said, his fingers twitting about, "We were both in a cage, and well, there was this chameleon, with this raspy voice I somehow know. And, well, he was forcing me to…"

Misty nodded, "Yeah, I got the picture."

"What?" Espio said, staring at her.

"Look, here's my theory." Misty said, "It can be one of three things. It could either mean one, a warning, two, a past memory, or third, just a nightmare."

"But what would it mean?" Espio asked.

"One, we're doomed." Misty rolled her eyes, "Two, something like that has happened before, or three, Nirinia's playin' with you."

"Nirinia?" Espio stared.

"My guardian that helped you." Misty smiled, "she's devious sometimes."

Espio smiled a little, "Hehe, I guess."

"Look, just forget it." Misty told him, setting her hand on his shoulder, "I'll let you know if we are doomed."

"Fine." Espio smiled a little more.

Misty then leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and lied down on the ground, out away from the opening. Espio blushed a little, then lied down on the opposite side, and closed his eyes, hoping to have a peaceful night.

---------------------

Tails kept walking back and forth in his room, unable to sleep, the laugh repeating in his head, he couldn't stand it, and wanted to scream out help, but then they would think he was crazy. All he knew was something was wrong, really wrong, and he couldn't take it.

He nodded to himself.

"AAAAAAAAARG!" Tails howled in agony.

Lights flickered on, and Sonic came rushing out, followed by Aaron, Conore and Rouge. Sonic grabbed a hold of tails and shook him a little.

"Tails! Are you okay man?" Sonic asked him.

"I can't stand it!" Tails cried out.

"Stand what?" Rouge asked.

Tails then spotted Conore, and for an odd reason, just seen his blue eyes glow crimson red, and freaked out.

"ACK!" Tails cried out again, leaping into Sonic's arms.

"Tails! Relax!" Aaron said, taking a step forward.

Tails continued to shake, "C-C-C-Conore's p-p-p-poss-ssessed!"

Conore stared at Tails, his face gawking at his comment, "What are you talking about?"

"Y-y-y-your eyes! Y-y-your laugh! You're possessed!" Tails pointed out, "Your eyes glowed red, bloody red, like you wanted to kill me! And then your laugh outside! You sounded like a mad scientist! Like Eggman!"

The four stared at him.

"I swear! I'm not seeing things! I swear!" Tails cried.

"Probably just a bad dream." Rouge said.

"NO IT WASN'T!" Tails yelped, "Why would I leap into Sonic's arms if I didn't see Conroe's eyes glow!"

Sonic dropped Tails onto a chair, and stepped back, "Tails! You just must've seen too much light, and a little light spot flickered over Conore's face! Relax."

Conore started walking over to him, "Tails if I was possessed, would I be standing here telling you I wasn't?"

"Get away you demon!" Tails growled, "And yes! That's exactly what you demons would do, make us let our guard down, and then kill us all!"

Aaron sighed, "Tails, if he was possessed, would he stand with this?"

The wolf then grabbed Conore's shirt and slapped his lips against his, and held him close. Rouge, Sonic and Tails mouths dropped, all shocked, unable to speak, and twitched a little.

Conore shoved Aaron off of him, and whipped his mouth, "Ew! You didn't have to do THAT!"

Aaron whipped his mouth with his arm, "Now would he?"

"HELL NO!" Conore snapped, trying to lick his tongue clean, "Look! We're going back to sleep! NOW!"

Conore then shoved Aaron back into his room, as they argued about what Aaron did. The other three stood there, blank. Tails felt really bad now, for making Conore prove he wasn't a demon, with Aaron's help.

"Next time Tails," Sonic growled, "Just wake me up, and not those gays!"

"They're not gay!" Rouge barked, "Aaron was simply just trying to help prove Conore was normal in a way no one would do."

"Well, good night!" Sonic stomped off, "Now I'm going to have nightmares!"

Rouge took a deep breath, and followed the blue hedgehog, leaving Tails alone in his room again.

"Sonic's probably right." Tails said, "I probably stared up at the lights, and seen little red spots or something. But the laugh I stand by what I believe, it wasn't normal at all."

He leaped into his covers and turned off his light, and lied on his side, unable to close them, the laugh continued to repeat in his head, and it wouldn't leave him.

It was about an hour before day break. He heard his glass door slide, and a light flicked on, blinding Tails. The fox tucked his head under the covers and whimpered in irritation. He deeply wanted to sleep.

"Tails?" a female called to him.

He lifted his head out from under the white covers, to find Marie standing in the doorway, "Marie?"

"Look," Marie said, deepening her voice a little, "I'm going to do you a big favor, but it's going to require your dedication."

"What?" Tails asked.

"I'm going to have you do a little test for me." Marie stated, leaning against the doorway, "It's a group of test to see how you're mind's functioning."

Tails raised an eyebrow, "I'm fine, thank ya."

The echidna raised a finger, "That's what you think."

"Huh?" Tails blinked.

"Just follow me, and I'll explain later." Marie said, waving her arm out.

Tails stared at her for a moment, then flipped the covers off, and trailed behind the echidna. The building was dark, almost pitch black, no night-lights were on, and no little green colored lights on the coffee makers were on. They turned into a dark hallway, and continued to walk, the light getting darker, and darker, and darker. Tails couldn't see anything, but heard Marie's steps trail off as he slowed up. Soon, it was pitch black, and Tails couldn't see his own hand on his face. He spun around, and seen nothing, only more blackness, no hallway, no light, not even the moonlight.

The fox started shaking, where was he going? What direction was he facing? Was there anything around that was dangerous? Tails then decided to try and reach for a wall, but only stumbled on a mop and bucket, slapping his left foot in the bucket, and fell flat face on the wet cold floor with a thud. Tails growled a little, he had enough to deal with, this was going too far, we wondered if Marie was playing with him.

He stood right back up, and felt around his leg for the water in the bucket, then expanded and found the rim. Carefully he lifted his foot out and set it on the floor, then put the bucket back down.

**CRASH!**

Tails yelped in fright, and slipped on the floor, landing on his back, and smacking his head against the mop's stick, then made the bucket fall over, and splash on him, soaking him with soapy water. Tails then lied there, and rubbed his head, he wanted out, but which way was out?

_Cli-click, cli-click, cli-click._

Tails opened his eyes wide open, and slapped his hand on his mouth, trying not to make any more noise that he'd already made. This was bad, he knew it wasn't anyone's shoes, it sounded like claws.

_Espio! _Tails thought, _If he's a mutant again, I'm doomed!_

The clicking then stopped. And Tails held his breath.

_Cli-click, cli-click, cli-click._

The clicking grew louder, and got closer to Tails.

It stopped again.

Tails uncovered his mouth, and lied there motionless.

"Marie?" Tails called out.

Nothing came in reply, so he sat up and looked around, and still saw black. Black, black, black, walls were black, the floors were black, and a glow of red ahead of him, black ceiling…

Glowing red?

Tails spun his head towards the red, and seen two red, what looked like, eyes, with small black slits in them, only a few yards away, shining brightly, but not revealing the floors, walls, or anything.

The fox didn't dare breathe, and continued to stare at the red eyes ahead of him.

Below the eyes, slowly, pure white fangs revealed through the black, grinning at Tails hungry and evilly at him, as if it was an illusion from a horror movie. The fangs were shearing white, and looked like fangs of a snake, only there were many, long, and deadly.

Tails eyes widened with fear, and was so horrified by the hidden face, that he could barely move. He couldn't even breathe.

The eyes and fangs then charged at him, clicking noise going again at a much faster pace. Tails tried to scramble away but he ran into the mop again, and his hand slipped from underneath, and he fell on his back again. Claws slammed by his head and trailed around to his head, and also felt a sting of pain strike through his leg, as he seen the white fangs snag his leg, and started dragging him off.

"HELP!" Tails cried, "SONIC! SHADOW! KNUCKLES! ROUGE! HELP!"

-------------------

"_HELP! SONIC! SHADOW! KNUCKLES! ROUGE! HELP!"_

The black hedgehog flipped her eyes open, and yelped, and found herself in her fox form, alone.

"Espio?" Misty looked around.

She was sitting where she last fell asleep, and seen no signs of Espio anywhere. He ran off without her, even though it was still dark.

Misty shook her head to wake herself up, and bolted out of the trunk, and took off in a bolt of speed, not thinking twice, she heard Tails' cry in her mind, he needed help, and fast.


	7. Lost Track

**Chapter 7: **

**Lost Track**

"Oh my god!" Rouge gasped, covering her mouth.

The group woke up, but they were a bit late replying to Tails' call for help, and all that they came across was a broken mop, a wet floor, and blood splattered everywhere, even on the walls. Sonic was amazed at the sight, and also noticed Conore was missing.

"Tails was right…" Sonic said quietly.

'It can't be Conore though." Aaron said, waving his arms frantically, "Honestly, why in hell would he do such a thing? He's not that type of guy!"

"Unless Espio returned." Knuckles reminded.

"But then where would Misty be?" Shadow asked.

They then heard the doors behind them bang open, and Misty came in with her feet sliding on the floor, coming to a halt. She then stood up and arched her back, angered.

"Okay!" Misty growled, "Where is Tails! Where's that thing that attacked him!"

"Long gone now." Sonic said, "Probably killed Tails, just seeing this."

Misty glanced around the hallway and noticed the bloodshed. She then started sniffing about, and sniffed everywhere there could be a sign.

"Look!" Rouge spoke, "If it was Conore, you Aaron would know! And if it was Espio, he'd be around Misty, more than likely."

"Speaking of which," Sonic eyed the white fox, "Misty, where's Espio?"

"During the night he was sleeping across from me." Misty said, lifting her head away from the mop, "But then by this morning, he was gone, I figured he was just around near, but it turned out he wasn't, so I ran here as fast as I could."

"So you have no idea where he is right now?" Aaron stared at her.

The white fox shook her head, "Not a clue."

Marie then walked in from behind the fox, and stepped into the hallway.

"Marie!" Sonic growled.

"What?" Marie stared at the blue hedgehog.

"Can you figure out what might've been in here?" Shadow crossed his arms, "And tell us if it's around or not?"

"No need…" Misty uttered, "Check out these claw marks."

Marie got down beside her and felt with her fingertips the marks that were the only clue so far. The others watched as the echidna observed, while Sonic grew impatient.

"So?" Sonic questioned.

"This is when I'm really stumped." Marie said, "I don't know what did this at all."

"You're kidding?" Knuckles implied.

"No, I'm not." Marie stared at Knuckles, "I don't think even my sister would know."

"Great!" Sonic waved his arms, "We gain one, but ye we lose two more! Who's next?"

"I think I know." Aaron muttered.

"I could though try some blood tests and DNA tests to see what I can come up with." Marie shrugged, "Course this might be a bit hard beans the blood's half coagulated."

"Anything to get something." Rouge nodded.

"While we're at it though," Misty raised a paw and plugged her nose, "I've got a scent, but it's terrible!"

"Could you follow it?" Knuckles asked her.

"Pay me ten bucks and I will." Misty said.

"I would." Rouge said, "but I don't think any of us have cash."

"I was joking…" Misty shook her head, "Let's go."

"Aaron!" Marie snapped, "Wait! You're staying here!"

"What! Why?" Aaron whined.

"Because you were the last one to have spoken with Conore." The echidna reminded, "Now the rest of you go on, we'll stay here."

"No, I'll stay." Shadow insisted, "Better than sticking around being the next one killed."

------------------

He was able to regain consciousness, and was able to see where he was at, well; he couldn't tell if he was blind, or the room was actually black, either way, his leg hurt.

Tails sat up, and felt his leg strike in soreness again, and it was terrible. He rubbed it, not caring that it was bloody and wet, all he cared was he was alive, for the moment.

He blinked a few more times, and found the room partly lit with the morning sunlight, and revealed his wound. He glanced at it, and seen it was nearly torn around the bone, were almost no meat was left within it. The fox went to take a ripped chunk off, and yanked, but felt another massive sting of pain strike again, ten times as worse than the wound itself.

"YEEEOOOWWWWW!!!!" Tails yelped.

What he just pulled off was either a tendon or nerves, but whatever he thought it was, hurt like hell, and it was painful.

_Note to self: never tear off chunks of meat that dangle about._ Tails noted to himself, _Hurts like hell._

He gripped his leg, the pain still stirring in him. He then wondered where that thing was that did this to him. Wherever it was, it wasn't near him.

The room then quickly grew dark again, and was again pure black. Tails then started to panic. This happened once before, and it was before the thing appeared. He blinked; it was planning to appear again.

_Crap! _Tails began to cry a little, _if I don't get myself out soon, I'm mincemeat!_

Tails glanced around as quickly as he could, with the room growing even darker, he thought his doom was coming really soon. He then spotted a hole not far from where he sat, and leaped up onto his feet.

His leg though struck pain through him again, and Tails landed on his side gripping above his wound. The pain was too strong for him to even stand, so he thought he had to crawl.

The door was then being unlocked.

Tails panicked even more and quickly squirmed to the hole, dragging his leg, and making the pain even worse as he dragged it across the rocks on the floor. Hearing the nick and knacks from his bone clinking with the rocks made his even more scared. He then thought he couldn't bare it, and stopped just feet from the hole.

The fox then slapped his face into his arms and lied on the ground, sobbing all he could. He knew he was going to die, and trying to escape with half a leg left wasn't going to help him at all. He couldn't bear to think of the red eyes and white fangs that pierced the darkness, he didn't want that to be the last thing he would see.

"I DON'T WANT HIM!" a voice shouted.

Tails stopped sobbing, and perked his ears to listen.

"Then why in hell did I bring him here then!" a familiar teen-guy like voice growled, "He's got half a leg, but otherwise, he's in one piece!"

_Just missing a few pieces of muscle, at least…_ Tails thought. _Better than the leg itself!_

He then heard a low snarl; "At least he doesn't know your the one that brought him here."

Tails blinked, the voice sounded deep, but a bit raspy at the same time.

"Boys!" A raspy voice echoed, "Enough! He's awake!"

_Crap… _Tails growled to himself. _Now I'm screwed!_

"What!" The teen-guys voice growled again, "How would you know?"

"Cause I'm looking at him right now." The raspy voice answered.

Tails froze. _From where?_

"Hmph!" The deep voice grumbled, "Look, I made my way here without being noticed like you wanted me to, and I expect something in return!"

Tails' mind then clicked, he figured out the deep voice. _Espio..._

"At least I was able to get out of being examined!" The teen's voice snapped, "He knew I was there, watching him!"

The teen voice sounded familiar, but where from?

"Enough you two!" The raspy voice howled, "Unless Quazaireon pops up again, I won't see you for another month! And you, luckily Quazaireon was around to get to you, just before the brink of day! Now, until we see each other again, return to where they are still at! And make sure that black hedgehog cousin of his doesn't find out about me!"

Tails' mouth then dropped. _No!_

"He knows." The deep voice growled.

The door that kept Tails in then banged wide open, and Tails quickly covered his head in fear, unsure of what was behind him. His back tense, and his body began to shake.

"Stand up mutt!" The raspy voice ordered him.

Tails knew he had to, so he stood up, even though the pain was enormous. He wanted to turn, but thought that he shouldn't.

"Better than I expected…" The raspy voice growled a little, "Turn to me!"

Tails took a big deep breath, and closed his eyes for a second, then spun around on his strong leg, and faced the raspy voice's source. Opening his eyes again, he seen a chameleon in the shadows, but couldn't see the face. All that he could see was he was scrawny.

"Miles Tails Prower…" The chameleon snickered, "Well I'll be damned! You did wonderful!"

"Thanks." The teens voice thanked.

Tails turned his head, and his mind turned from feared imaged to blank.

His mouth dropped in a heartbeat, "Conore!"

----------------

"Are we there yet?" Sonic complained.

"Oh shut up Sonic!" Knuckles growled.

They've been walking in the woods for an hour, and Misty was still on the trail of the cold-hearted killer, but Sonic was starting to hate the fact they were lost.

"Man. This bites the big one." Rouge sighed.

Misty then stopped.

"What's up?" Sonic blinked.

Misty sat and curled her tail around her, "Trail's cold, it stops right here."

"In the middle of the forest?" Aaron waved his arms, "You've got to be kidding me!"

Misty shook her head.

"Well, they couldn't just disappear!" Sonic growled.

"I've remembered something." Aaron said, "Where's that watch thingy doohickey?"

"The Watch of Cursed Time?" Misty spun around and stared at him, "No! No way! We are not headed there!"

"Huh?" Sonic stood confused.

"Watch of Cursed Time? What are you talking about?" Knuckles growled at her.

"It's a charm for dispatching any dark creature back to where they came from." Misty explained, "The SinVice Turret in this case."

"Look!" Aaron tried to explain, "That's probably why the trail is cold, I don't smell it in the air, nor anywhere near, so that's our only option."

"Over my dead body!" Misty snapped, "After transporting two Hellhounds, I'm sure they won't be happy to see me again!"

"Can I at least see it?" Aaron asked, "I want to try something."

Misty sighed, and shifted to her normal form, and dug through her pockets, "Huh?"

She then took out her necklace, and a small little digital screen appeared, "Watch of Cursed Time."

The screen then replied, _No item found._

"CRAP!" Misty barked, "I bet Espio sole it from me! That stinkin' bastard!"

"You lost it?" Aaron's mouth dropped.

"Wait wait wait wait!" Sonic shouted, "SinVice Turret? Where the heck is that?"

"No where on this planet." Aaron said.

"It is the place that houses the Kiroshioneze of the Dark, and I ain't going there!" Misty growled, "Not even if Conore was there!"

"Oh how pleasant." Knuckles rolled his eyes, "So now what?"

There was then a howl in the distance, followed by a loud screech. Aaron's ears flicked up, and glanced towards then sound.

"That's them!" Aaron said, shifting to his wolf form, "Let's go!"

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Here we go again! Follow the howl! Follow the howl, and what do we get, a dead person."

"Aaron wasn't dead when we found him." Rouge snipped, "Now quit complaining, you like to run!"

-------------------

Tails sat in the room, cold, and distressed, he couldn't believe what he just saw. This was twice Conore nearly killed him, and the thought haunted him. His leg froze up with the cold, and he couldn't feel a thing due to the fact it was numb.

"No! Don't do this! Please!"

Tails turned his head to the door, Conore's voice echoed through the hallways.

"Please! Anything! Please!" the same deep voice cried.

_Espio and Conore crying for help? What the heck is going on?_

Tails' jail door opened, and the chameleon that spoke to him earlier then threw in first the teen fox, making him tumble into a stack of stone piled up, banging his head to where some blood spurted out of his mouth. Then the chameleon threw in Espio, and tossing a large dagger at him, nailing him in the back, and made him crash into Conore, weakening the both of them.

"You'd better hope your friends come soon!" the raspy voice snarled, and slammed the door behind him, leaving Tails, Conore, and Espio.

"Alright!" Tails snapped, "What in hell's going on?"

"One moment Tails." Conore choked as he pushed Espio off of him.

Espio slid to the floor on his stomach, his hands bloody from cuts and deep scars, and the dagger in his back made him suffer even more. Conore kneeled by him, and grabbed the dagger, and jerked it out from the skin, making Espio wail in pain.

Conore then looked up at Tails, "What is it?"

"I want to know why you dragged me here! Tore a chunk of my leg off! Nabbed Espio along with ya! And made that chameleon beat me!" Tails snarled.

"It wasn't me Tails!" Conore said, setting the dagger down by the rocks, "Nor was it Espio!"

"Then why did I see you? Thanking the creature for nearly killing me! TWICE!" Tails roared.

"You wouldn't believe me if we'd tell you." Espio said, trying to get up.

"Do you even realize where we are?" Conore asked.

"I don't care!" Tails snarled, and stood up, then taking a leap at the dagger. Conore went to reach for the dagger, but Espio grabbed his arms and pulled him down, away from Tails. The small for was able then to grab the dagger as he crashed on top of it, and pointed it at Conore's chest.

"Watch it man!" Conore yelped, "Silver's like acid to me!"

Tails stood up, "Well then it'll help kill you faster you demon!"

Conore's mouth dropped, "You wouldn't!"

Tails put the dagger up to his throat, and pushed it closer, "I would."

"Tails! Listen o me!" Espio cried out, "we both know you were attacked, because we had to witness it, whether we liked it or not!"

"Shut up!" Tails snapped, "this is when I draw the line!"

Conore growled and smacked the dagger out of his hands to the other side of the room, and grasped him, and shoved him into the stone pile behind him. Tails tried to fight him back, but Conore was much stronger than he thought.

"Listen to yourself!" Conore roared, "The whole world is in our hands Tails! And not just ours as in you and me, and the rest of the team! I mean the others that are like us!"

"Liar!" Tails cried out, "You've tried to kill me twice, and you're going to try a third, and making it true this time!"

Conore's grip grew tighter, "You don't understand! We're now in a war Tails!"

Tails stopped, "What?"

Conore took a deep breath in relief, "Just listen to me, okay?"

"Not unless you explain all that's happened right now." Tails growled.

Espio sat beside Conore, "It wouldn't make sense if he didn't tell you about the war."

Tails calmed down, "Fine, let me go first!"

Conore nodded, and stepped away from Tails, and released him. Tails then slid down and laid his back on the rocks, the pain in his le starting up again. Conore then sat and stared at him.

"Conore." Tails spoke, "Am I the only one out of everyone that would know?"

"Yes." Conore sighed, "Besides Espio here though, you're the only one that knows, and must inform the others."

"What about you two?" Tails asked.

"I'm not going anywhere," Conore lowered his head, "I've been cursed by that mutt."

"Who?"

"Quazaireon…" Conore growled, "I've been sentenced to become a Hellhound at sunset."

Tails' face then turned white, "Crap…"

"You and Espio need to start finding a way out." Conore said, cause if you're still in here when I shift, you're both dead."


	8. Taking It Further

**Chapter 8: **

**Taking It Further**

They followed Aaron to a clearing, and then he stopped, unsure on where to go.

"Dude! The howling was right here!" Aaron growled, "I know it was!"

"Sure…" Sonic rolled his eyes.

Misty glanced around, her blue eyes narrow, uneasy, she sensed something was wrong. She then glanced down, and spotted right by her feet, the charm that was stolen, the Watch of Cursed Time.

"YAY!" Misty barked happily, "Found the watch!"

"Cool!" Sonic smiled, "Now we can go to this SinVice place."

The white fox spun her head around and growled, "Like I said, over my dead body!"

"So why did we come here?" Knuckles asked.

"Those howls." Aaron waved his arms frantically, "I swear, there came from here!"

The black hedgehog noticed something move in the bushes, and spun her head to it. She watched, and seen nothing was in sight, neither did the bush move again, she grew nervous.

"Um, maybe we should go…" Misty tried to convince.

Sonic noticed her expression, she wasn't kidding, and she wanted to go, now. Stubborn at the moment, he ignored her, "Meh, I like it here. Peaceful."

The sky then grew darker, and so did the open area and the trees surrounding it, it was like the sun was dying off. Aaron quickly silenced, and glanced up, and saw the sun was still there, but somehow the area was getting darker.

"Hey! What's going on?" Rouge said looking around.

"I don't like this at all man." Aaron whimpered, shifting to his normal self.

"Why is the place getting darker?" Knuckles growled, "I don't want to be in the dark at this time."

Sonic spun his head towards the fox for a moment, and seen her eyes still looking at the bushes. He then turned to face Rouge, but found she was gone. He turned his head back to Misty, and she was gone. All that was left was blackness.

"Um, guys?" Sonic called.

"Where are you Sonic?" Aaron asked.

"You tell us." Misty growled, "It's like being blind here."

"Just stay put guys." Rouge said, "Maybe it'll pass and we can see again."

"Rouge, this isn't just any ordinary darkness." Aaron warned, "this is bad news, and I mean really bad news."

There were then scampering noises in the grass. The group fell silent and listened, but could make out where the scampering was coming from.

There was then a loud snarl, and then Knuckles, "Ack! Ow! Guys! Help!"

"Where are you at?" Rouge yelped.

Knuckles then shrieked, and both Knuckles' cry for help and the snarling faded.

"Ack! Where is he?" Sonic cried out.

More snarling came in, and then rustling sounds of grass we made right next to him.

"AH!" Misty bawled.

"Misty?" Sonic turned his head towards Misty's voice.

There was a loud bark, and then a slicing sound of skin and claw.

"Ow! Help!" Aaron howled.

Sonic felt his spine tingle with fear, "Aaron?"

And then he heard Rouge's wings flapping, and then a thud, and the sound of her being dragged.

"Sonic!" Rouge cried over the snarling that was made.

Sonic then spun around on his shoes and looked right and left, seeing if he could catch the attackers that could be nearby. He was the only one standing, and wasn't sure where he was at, or where everyone else was dragged to. He felt his fur stand up, and felt the tickling of grass creep his legs.

There was then another rustling noise nearby, and Sonic twirled and twirled to see if he could try and see his attacker. The rustling noise made him even more nervous, and made him shake even more. The noise then stopped, and then there was a small growl.

Sonic spun his body around, and was within feet of a pair of red glowing eyes and white fangs, staring him down as prey, as they grinned at him, leering and laughing.

Sonic didn't think, and took off running in a heartbeat. Unsure where he stood, he didn't dare pick up to the speed of sound, so kept a normal run. Snarling then echoed into the darkness, and Sonic felt his body fall to the ground, and felt a crunch in one of his ribs, like his attacker just tackled him. He then felt his leg being bitten by, and felt the fangs pierce through and into the bone beneath the flesh.

Sonic cried out and grabbed a hold of a branch that attached to the ground, and held on as the creature yanked him more and more, making the wound deeper and deeper.

He then remembered, "My mutant form!"

He quickly turned his head and stared into the creature's dart eyes and hissed at it. It though didn't dare release, and kept tugging, pulling more of him more and more. Sonic then closed his eyes, and felt his muscles tense, and soon, he released the branch.

Both the creature and him tumbled, giving the blue hedgehog a chance to fight. Quickly he spurted claws and his eyes turned gold, and his dark surrounding cleared, and his vision showed a fox on it's back getting up. As it turned and faced him, it was the face of the white wolf's friend.

"Conore?" Sonic raised his head.

The fox stared at him, and snarled, his red eyes and fangs brightly shining through the dark. The blue hedgehog then blinked and quickly shifted fully into his mutant form, and charged at him.

The fox then stood and swiped at his face. The swipe screeched across the blue hedgehog's face, and smacked him into a trunk of a tree, knocking him out cold.

-------------------

"Okay, so let me get this straight." Tails spoke, "What you're saying is that this is a war between the same culture, but different sides, that are fighting to defeat or keep this Demon Phoenix, but they need more than the Traveling Earthesens to win. And yesterday was the start of the war."

"Right." Espio nodded.

"And due to the fact Misty, you Conore, and a bunch of your friends are Traveling Earthesens, the Dark are going after you guys because they know that you and your friends are the strongest of the Traveling Earthesens."

Conore nodded, "Not only that, but they've been taking notice of you guys too, and Eggman."

"And they're using now supernatural creatures, the witchcraft stuff, and dot dot dot to defeat the Light, and complete the deed that the Demon phoenix as ordered the Dark to do?"

"Right." The two said at once.

"So why are you guys here?" Tails asked.

"We're suppose to be prisoners or knights to the Dark now." Conore rolled his eyes, "In you and Espio's case, prisoners, in my case, a knight."

"The Hellhounds were a experiment." Espio explained, "They were curious if they could somehow make wares into demon dogs of hell, and it worked."

"How do you know that?" Tails stared at the chameleon.

"It would be the longest story I'd have ever told." Espio said.

"Look, you two need to get out." Conore growled, "Sunsets drawing near, and fast."

"One last question." Tails interrupted, "What about that chameleon, and, well, you guys?"

"the chameleon?" Espio growled, "I'll explain later, but those were Hellhounds."

"Hellhounds that decided to take the shape of us." Conore said.

"And they're out and about probably trying to get a hold of the other guys." Tails growled.

The door behind them swung open wide, and in came the chameleon called Mince, scrawny and dark. He quickly grabbed Espio by the shoulder and slapped a shackle around his neck.

"Come!" The chameleon growled, "And you two! If you dare try to do anything smart, the next thing you'll eat will be each other."

The chameleon then jerked Espio's chain and made him walk. Then slamming the door behind him. Tails and Conore were then left in the room, only to watch a old clock on the wall that told them on the top, a moon, then half a sun, then a sun, then another half of a sun, clockwise. It read three forty five.

'When's sunset?" Tails asked him.

Conore growled, "Between five and seven thirty."

Tails took a deep swallow, and shivered.

-----------------

"Alright you!" The chameleon snapped, "Where is she?"

Espio was slammed against a brick wall, and bled more from the whip he carried with him. After many whacks with it, he didn't want to speak.

"Answer me!" The chameleon snapped again.

Espio glanced up, "Last time I saw her, and we were in the same tree before you're mutts brought me here."

The chameleon growled, "So all this time, I could've had you both." The chameleon then released Espio, and walked away from him a few steps, turning his back, "All this time, you two could've done me a favor. No, not mine, the Dark's favor."

"Why would you want us anyways Mince." Espio growled.

The chameleon snapped his head around, "How do you know who I am?"

"That broken horn and the hands never lie." Espio sneered.

Mince growled, and glanced down at his hands, which seemed normal, but showed some of the detail Espio remembered vaguely. The muscle that seemed like the only thing covering it, and the fact they looked bloody, mutant hands is what the teen chameleon thought.

"Even after six years of not being seen, you still know who I am." Mince growled, "That hedgehog did you no good."

Espio raised his head, "You didn't catch her six years ago, so you're not going to catch her ever."

Mince turned his head slightly to him, "How come you know Misty?"

Espio's body froze, what was he going to say?

Mince turned fully and stepped closer to him, "Well, if you know Misty, I have a question for you."

"I won't answer anything for you, just so you know." Espio crossed his arms.

"I don't think you'll be able to anyhow." Mince smiled evilly, "Tell me, what is it about Misty that said I want you?"

Espio stared at him, "None of your business."

"In that case." Mince grumbled, "Let's try something else, do you have any deep and dark secrets?"

"What are you getting to?" Espio growled, his eyes turning snake like.

"Well, shifting to your mutant form is going to do you nothing." Mince warned, "Now, just answer the question."

"If I did, you'd probably know by now." Espio lowered his head, glaring at Mince deadly.

"Now, does Misty have any dark secrets?" Mince asked him.

"No, of course not!" Espio barked.

"How do you know that?" Mince said, cocking his head, "The last time you've seen her was four years ago, how do you know nothing has happened during that time?"

"What do you know, and why tell me?" Espio snarled, arching his back a little.

"Cause she has two dark secrets." Mince grinned.

Espio's face then went pale, and he stood straight, shocked.

"If you're really curious…" Mince laughed, "Then you're gonna have to do something for me. If you want to know what those dark secrets are."

"Which is?" Espio raised an eyebrow.

"You're going to have to bring her here and kill her with your own two hands." Mince said, his eyes glowing red a little.

Espio's mouth dropped, his eyes wide in astonishment, and he thought he felt his heart skip a beat. To kill her? Are the secrets really that dark?

"Now, you can do that task if you're that desperate." Mince smiled, and stepped right in front of him, "Or, you can let her live, and leave your mind to wonder forever what it is she's kept as a secret for so long."

Mince then gripped Espio on the arms and put pressure against him to the wall, "I will say this though, one of your group members know part of her secret, but doesn't realize it, and I strongly advise that you don't go searching or snooping around, it could cost you not only your life, but hers as well."

Espio gritted his teeth, and was tempted to bite him, but he didn't dare.

A black door behind Mince flew open, and four Hellhounds walked in with Knuckles, Misty, as her hedgehog form, Aaron, and Rouge, all in shackles and chains, bloody, and weak.

"Well, looks like I do get both of you after all." Mince sneered.

Misty's face went instantly pale, "You're still alive? I thought Darren finished you once and for all!"

Mince grabbed Espio's chain, and took out his whip, "Very realistic, isn't it?"

Another Hellhound then walked in, with Sonic on a chain leash, like Espio, and shoved him down.

"Is that the last?" Mince asked.

All the demon dogs nodded.

"Very well." Mince nodded.

"Wait!" Knuckles barked, "You know him Misty?"

"She saved me from him." Espio snarled.

"Well now, you've finally answered my question." Mince laughed.

Espio felt like sending one of his Serpents at him, just to show he wasn't normal, or easy to handle.

"Take the four to the cell next to the others." Mince directed, "Quazaireon will be here soon again."

"Wait! Who are you?" Sonic growled.

"Except Misty." Mince pointed out, "I want her."

The Hellhounds nodded, and tugged the four with them, all growling, complaining, and tried to fight them. The door then shut, and the three were left in the room, a cell nearby.

"Get in there." Mince growled.

Espio stared at the cell, and watched as Misty went in first.

_Don't worry, we'll got out..._

Espio grew scared.

_The dream I had...I'd never thought the chameleon in my dream was Mince, Mince Marvelo…_


	9. The Sunset's Curse

**Chapter 9: **

**The Sunset's Curse**

"Can you show me the mark you got?" Tails asked the fox.

Conore looked up at him, "You know that mark you got from Quazaireon, back at Night City?"

Tails' ears went up, "Oh yeah, that burns!"

"Depends on the curse." Conore stated, "What you got was nothing compared to mine."

Tails sighed, "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Conore stared at him with confusion, "You didn't do anything."

"No," Tails shook his head, "I'm sorry that you guys have to put up with us for the rest of the war. Sonic's stubborn, Knuckles' a hothead, Shadow's partly perverted…"

"Tails." Conore growled, "I put up with Misty and Aaron every day, and they're twice as bad as those three combined, so don't feel sorry, okay?"

Tails nodded, and glanced up at the clock, "Four ten."

Conore twitched a little, "Do me a favor, and don't count."

"Sorry, bored, and sore." Tails apologized, looking down at his leg.

The teen fox stared at Tails' wound, "Hellhound?"

Tails shrugged, "All I know it had red eyes and white fangs."

Conore rolled his eyes, "Hold still."

Conore then took off his necklace charm, and pressed it against Tails' wound, which didn't hurt at all. The charm glowed a bright white, allowing the light to spread from it to Tails' wound, covering the leg almost completely, then with a flash, the necklace stopped glowing, along with the fox's leg, and the wound was gone. Clean and new, Tails' mouth plunged down, surprised by the wound's banishment.

"How did you do that?" Tails asked, rubbing his leg with curiosity.

Conore clipped his charm back on the choker's loop, "I'm a Traveling Earthesen, one who can heal, shape shift, and so on."

Tails smiled, "Thanks a bunch."

The door behind the two squeaked open, and Aaron was the first to be thrown in, and then the door shut behind them. Then another door next to them squeaked open, and Sonic, Knuckles, and Rouge were tossed in, flying into the stone cold wall and landing on one another.

"Where's Shadow when you need him?" Sonic growled.

The door then slammed shut, and the Hellhounds left the two groups alone.

Aaron glanced at Tails and Conore with surprise, "Dude! You're alive!"

The two foxes shrugged.

"Hey wait!" Sonic called through the hole, "who's there?"

"Sonic?" Tails yelped, "Are you okay?"

"We all are for the moment." Rouge said, "But our legs are like toothpicks right now, we almost have no meat on them."

Conore blinked, and glanced over at Aaron, he was the only one with the torn vest across his chest, blood soaked, and about ready to fall off of his body. He raised an eyebrow at him, Aaron replied with a shrug, and turned his head towards the other's voices.

"Sonic." Aaron called to him, "Get through that hole and get over here."

"NO!" Conore barked, "Stay over there!"

"What? Why?" Aaron stared at him.

"Tails." Conore called him, unclipping his charm again, "Take this to them, make sure to tap the green jewel before you hand it to Sonic."

"What now?" Sonic called out.

"Tails is going to give you a charm." Conore instructed, "Put it on you're leg, and you should see your leg heal, then pass it on to Rouge."

"What about me!" Knuckles snapped.

"And Knux!" Aaron added, then turned his head to Conore, "It's best to stay in one group than two you know man."

"I know." Conore said, "But right now, you and the others need to figure out a way out."

"What about you?" Rouge poked her head up.

"I'm not going anywhere." Conore growled.

"Do you even realize where Misty is?" Knuckles hollered.

"No, but I don't care about that." Conore yapped, "You guys just find Misty and Espio without me."

Sonic then poked his hand out with Conore's charm, and Tails quickly grabbed it and ran it over to Conore, and held it out, standing.

Conore shook his head, "You hold on to it, you know what's going to happen."

Aaron flicked his head to Conore, "What's going to happen?"

Conore turned and glared at Aaron, "Just start making way to find a way out."

Aaron lowered his ears, "Tell us now, so we don't kill you later. Besides, you're my friend, and I'm doing you a big favor. Now, tell us what's about to happen…"

"At around the strike of six, at sunset is when I'm turned into a Hellhound." Conore said deepening his voice.

Sonic was able to squeeze himself through the hole, and stood up, brushed himself off, then stared at Conore, "Come again?"

Conore rolled his eyes, "I'm going to become a Hellhound at either around the strike of six, or when the sun sets in."

Rouge was about then squeezed in, but stopped, "You're kidding?"

Conore unzipped his vest, and pulled down the right side, and Quazaireon's print was implanted on his skin. The group then felt a deadly chill down their spine.

"Now I have a question." Knuckles growled, ripping some of the rock out, "Who's that stupid scrawny chameleon holding Espio's chain?"

"His names Mince." Conore growled with irritation.

Aaron's face then turned light with shock, "Mince? Mince Marvelo!"

The five stared at him, Rouge lowering her ears, "You know him?"

Aaron gripped his fists; "He killed my dad several years ago."

"And what was his name?" Conore asked, his blue eyes lighting up with some fear.

"Jared." Aaron growled, "How is that stupid mutant bastard still alive!"

"He's a mutant too!" Sonic clinched his head, "why is everyone a freaking mutant?"

-------------------

He tried to stand, but the whip came right back and smacked him right on the face. He fell back down on his knees, and tried to keep his head from floating out of him, and passing out.

"Espio! Just do it!" Misty cried out.

"Listen to her Espio." Mince growled.

"I won't!" Espio snapped in anger, "Not even if neither one of us were to remember, NEVER!"

Mince threw up his whip, and slapped it across Espio's face again, tearing him piece by piece. Espio nearly lost his balance and stumbled, but didn't allow his body to collapse yet. His arms began shaking, and his head was bloody from the many whips he took.

"You'll never escape from your past my friend." Mince laughed, "Nor will you escape from this nightmare. It will live within you forever!"

Misty quickly shifted to her fox form and stood with her back arched and growled violently, "Leave him alone!"

Mince stepped forward and stood by Espio, whip ready to strike Misty next, "I wouldn't plan on doing anything smart. You know what happened to my brother several years ago!"

"Try me!" Misty dared.

Mince smiled, "Daring, but you're only making your stakes higher."

Mince then swung his arm around, and nailed Misty with the whip right on the chest, forcing her to shift to normal. She grabbed her wound and stumbled backwards, and lied on the ground trying to bare the pain, and trying to breathe.

Mince faced Espio, "I'm going to give you two choices, you either do what I said to her, and I'll let you go, or I can do it myself, and let you go alone."

Espio barely turned his head; "I won't let you take her away from me. Never in my life will she die first."

Mince laughed hysterically, "Her still alive is what's killing you, you know."

Espio growled a little, wanting to kill him right there, right now, but his body wouldn't be able to take him on, no matter what.

"I'm going to leave you two alone." Mince growled, "If nothing happens within the next ten minutes, someone's going to be in serious trouble."

Mince then started walking, and struck Espio's back with the whip a final time, forcing him down to the ground and made him bleed more blood. He walked out of the cell door then shut it beind him, then grabbed the black door, and slammed it behind him.

"Cretin." Misty growled.

Espio turned his head to see Misty where he lied, "Got any ideas?"

"Yeah, I actually do." Misty smiled, "But it's going to require for right now, your dedication."

------------------

"Any luck on that side?" Aaron asked.

Knuckles slipped through the hole, with dirt all over his face and body and stood up, his face irritated, "No go, the door's gotta cursed lock on it."

"Crap…" Sonic growled.

Rouge turned to see Conore, removing his vest and sitting by the pile of rock, isolating himself from the others. His blue eyes staring down at the ground with only concern, what would happen if they didn't make it out? He then closed his eyes, worried.

"Kinda isolated I noticed." Rouge commented.

"Yeah." Knuckles agreed, brushing his body off, "Aren't you going to help us out?"

Conore didn't move, but laid his ears back a little, "Legend says once you've been cursed, you're behavior gets more violent, and the craving for blood grows within you, making you blood thirsty."

"So really just stay away?" Sonic shrugged.

Conore nodded, "Along with that, you start to feel internal changes, which is you're body's shifting to prepare for the sudden shift."

"Scary…" Tails shook nervously.

Aaron stepped closer to Conore, feeling brave enough to dare his own self to go near him. He then stuck out a hand to him, "Conore man, we need you to-"

Conore then quickly snapped at his hand, just inches from actually biting his fingertips. Aaron quickly jerked back his hand, and leaped a foot away from him, starting to see that what the fox said was true. His eyes wide and ears up in alert, he now knew better.

"Just stay away." Conore growled, taking off his shades that wrapped around his head, "I don't want to end up like the vicious dogs on The Breed."

"Huh?" Knuckles cocked his head.

"Misty and I watched it one night." Conore said, staring up through the jail-like window with bars concealing them in, "It was about these five friends camping at an island, and don't realize there's a pack of genetically experimented dogs that were made to hunt and kill anything they could find. Two die in the movie, and at the very last second of the movie, it shows the other three being attacked on a boat."

"Sounds kinda creepy." Tails said, backing away from the fox.

"Sounds stupid to me." Sonic growled.

Conore glared at Sonic, his eyes changing from his normal moonlight blue to a deep purple, "What I'm trying to say is if you keep bothering me, I could kill you all without even shifting."

"Okay! That's it.' Rouge waved her arms, "I'm headed to the hole."

"Hey wait!" Knuckles grabbed her shoulder, then faced Conore again, "How much time do we still have left?"

Tails glanced up at the dark clock, "Just by what that says, it's almost five."

"So we've got about an hour to get out." Rouge said.

"Besides being ripped to shreds." Sonic spoke, "What could happen if we don't?"

"You'd be working for the Dark then." Conore answered, "with no soul."

Aaron knelt down to Conore's eye level, "Dude, we're all going to get out, and you're coming with us."

Conore turned his head, and growled a little, "unlike what happened to you, I'll be even worse, since Quazaireon was the one who put the curse on me."

"So really our only option is to find a way out." Sonic said, "let's see, both doors can't be broke, the walls would take forever, the bars are cursed…"

"Wait, how are the doors cursed?" Tails asked.

"Spellock." Aaron rolled his eyes.

"Are they like ordinary locks?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, more complicated though."

"I can pick 'em!" Tails smiled, "All I need is a hair pin."

"And I've got one!" Rouge said proudly, slapping it into Tails' hands.

"Time to do some pickin'!" Tails smiled.

The teen fox then let a smirk crease his face, keeping his head low, and making his bangs fall in front of his face. There was then a push in his chest, and a painful stabbing that struck him. Conore clenched his chest, and choked a little, feeling his body starting to shift. He glanced up, and seen the clock was at the five.

"Start pickin' Tails." Conore said, trying to breathe, "Cause…you don't have much…time."

Tails stared at Conore, then stared at the door in front of him, and quickly slid to the door, and grabbed the black lock on the outside, and pulled it inside, and started to use the hairpin to pick at it.

---------------------

Misty stood back a few steps from Espio, and watched, "Okay, try it this time."

Espio growled a little, then jerked his chain that was attached to the cell's door, and shifted to his mutant form. His feet dragged as he tried to pull, and his claws tore through the ground as he kept trying and trying.

Espio then gave in, and plopped on the ground, exhausted. Shifting to normal, he laid motionless, still tied to the door.

Misty sighed, "No use?"

"No use." Espio complained, "There's no other way out…"

"If there were keys in here there would be." Misty said, looking around, "Or a button, or something to make the door open."

Misty sat next to Espio and undid him from being chained to the door. She then tossed it against the door. There was a small creaking noise, then a loud screech, and the sound of metal collapsing to the ground. Both Misty and Espio spun their heads, to find that the door fell over, and gave them the opportunity to escape.

The chameleon stared at the exit blankly, "So all this time, I've just basically tried to lock it?"

"I guess." Misty blinked, "Let's go before that cretin returns."

The two leaped out and ran towards the door, and peaked through the window, only to find two Hellhounds were sleeping by the doorway. The hallways dark, and no sign of the chameleon, yet.

Misty growled, "They've got pretty good hearing too."

"I could try." Espio volunteered.

"They'd kill you on sight." Misty disagreed, "They were bred to hunt and kill. Don't even try it."

"Couldn't we then just wait?" Espio suggested, "Wait for Mince to walk in, and as the door's open, we make way out of here, camouflaged?"

Misty nodded, "I guess we could, we'd have to be really quiet though as we enter out."

The hedgehog quickly shifted, and shifted to a black and red chameleon. Same clothing, almost the same markings, and the same voice, "We'll speak mentally."

Quickly the two camouflaged, and sat by a stone table, and waited in the orange sunlight.

------------------------

After a few minutes later, Tails continued to struggle with the lock. Gritting his teeth, sweat pouring down his face, and his legs hurt from the rocks that he kneeled on. The others waited patiently as he tried his hardest to break an opening.

"Status?" Tails asked.

"Five-twenty." Sonic said.

"No pressure Tails, just keep thinking and working." Rouge encouraged.

Conore, still in his corner by the rock pile, yelped out in pain as his body continued to torture him. Aaron, on the other hand, frantically paced back and fourth, uneasy if they were going to make it out or not.

"No pressure's what Consey here needs." Aaron said, worried, "Can someone try to find another way out?"

"I've tried everything and looked everywhere!" Knuckles snapped, "That lock is our only way out if it gets unlocked."

"In both rooms?" Sonic asked.

"YES!" Knuckles hollered.

"Rouge." Tails spoke, "Do you have another hairpin?"

Rouge turned to Tails with a fretted face, "Please tell me you didn't break it."

Tails was silent.

"Tails?" Sonic called to him, also anxious.

"Um," Tails faced them, "If I were to say yes, what would you guys do?"

"Fall over dead?" Rouge answered dumbly.

Tails nodded, "Cause it didn't just break, is shattered to a million pieces."

They all dropped their mouths, "NOOOOO!"

Tails banged his head against the door, "I'm so sorry guys."

Sonic leaped to his feet, and paced back and fourth frenzied, sweating, and unsure of what to do. Rouge leaned against the wall, and slapped his hand over her face. Knuckles just sat there with a void face.

"What do we do now?" Sonic cried out.

Conore sat up, "For one, stop panicking!"

Sonic stopped, "And what?"

Conore then let a small smirk crease his face, "And hold still."

Aaron seen the smirk, and knew exactly what he was about to do. Quickly he leaped onto Conore and started to wrestle against him. Both fought with one another, and rolled around and into the rock pile, injuring one another violently. Tails then seen the two rolling his direction, and quickly dived t the left, and rolled a little, hurting his leg, but luckily, not with the wound there.

The two then smacked into the door, and started fighting more, both growing violently at one another, scratching, biting, kicking, and punching, whatever they could do to one another. They were like two savage dogs fighting over territory or leadership, or survival, it was so violent that it seemed both of their eyes would glow red because of the rage that glowed within them. The cursed fox then lifted a fist and threw it to Aaron's face; the wolf though quickly moved his head, just before Conore was able to finish it. The punch was finished with his fist breaking the lock.

The lock shattered, and pieces dropped lightly on the ground, and made some chime noises that seemed to be more dark than pleasant. The other four's eyes lit up with excitement as they seen the lock shatter to pieces, and were then filled with hope again, now knowing there was a way out of dying in the cell.

Aaron growled a little, and kicked his close friend into the rock pile across the room, the back being stabbed by the sharp rocks behind him, and blood flying out of his mouth. The white wolf quickly leaped to his feet, and swung the door open, revealing a way out from death.

"Come on man! We've gotta go!" Aaron hollered at the others.

Sonic was the first to dart out, and waited just before the doorway, waiting for Knuckles and Rouge, his gold eyes lighting up with happiness.

Tails though didn't want to go, and looked down at the ground while holding his body up on his knees and elbows. Aaron quickly slid over and tugged Tails on the shoulder, nagging him to leave.

"I don't wanna go." Tails cried.

"Tails." Aaron spoke, "Dying on your own is one thing, but being killed by someone that cares for you is another thing. We don't want to loose you on this, we all love you, and we all care for you, but right now, you've got to leave him behind. I love him like a brother, and it's hard, but what's done is done, and I can't do anything about it."

Tails looked up, his blue eyes crying for support, and sympathizing for Aaron's claw mark on his eye.

"Now come on." Aaron pulled him up, "We've gotta get out of here."

Loud snarling was made just ahead of the two, both looked up and seen Conore's eyes changed from his moonlight blue to a blood red. He growled brutally, and arched his back as he stood, his ears lie back, and blood covering his body from the wounds.

Aaron and Tails stared at him with fear, and felt frozen to the ground. Aaron glanced at the door, then the fox, then the door, then Tails. He knew, it was either now or never, they had one shot. He then spotted a metal bar right by his foot.

He had it planned now.

"Run!" Aaron shouted, shoving Tails in front of him.

Tails shot out of Aaron's grip, and slipped on the rocky ground, then scampered to the door as quickly as he could, not turning back to see his doom. Aaron quickly grabbed the metal bar beside him, and quickly sprinted to the door, hoping to make it there to Tails before Conore did. Seeing his chance, Conore snarled and leaped at tails as he slipped again, and drew out his claws that shown in the sunset's light. Aaron quickly came by Tails, and swung the bar around, and smacked the fox right on the face, and made him fly by the rock pile again.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Rouge gritted their teeth, and stepped back as tails was shoved out of the cell, and Aaron followed, almost forgetting to shut the door that kept them in. He dropped the bar outside, and hurried to the door. He grabbed the handle, but stopped for a moment to see Conore's position, and seen the fox charging at him. He hastily ran with the door handle in hand, and went to shut it; only then to find his body being shove by the fox's body slam into the door, forcing it shut.

Aaron felt the door hit his shoulder, and flew from the door, to the ground, and slid a little, tearing some of his skin. He lied on the ground, feeling as if a two-ton bar had just dropped on this left side.

The others looked to see if the door was shut, and also found it was relocked.

"I hope that holds him in there." Sonic said, taking a deep breath.

Aaron rolled on his back, "I hope so too, cause that mother fucker HURT!"

"It must have, just by seeing you fly like a bird." Knuckled punned.

Rouge took a deep breath, "For a moment I thought you two weren't going to make it."

"Neither did I," Aaron said, gasping for air, "when it comes to speed, Conore usually wins over me by a mile. Thank god for that bar."

"Otherwise we'd been dead." Tails said, shaking.

Aaron looked around, and seen only the hallway extending to his left, leading to a stair case, nothing was around, with that thought it rang up a question though.

"That's weird." Aaron said, "No Hellhounds."

"Isn't that good?" Knuckles asked.

"Yeah in a way." Aaron said, gripping his shoulder, "But they're usually always guarding, I wonder what made them leave their posts."

"There's only one answer." Sonic said, smiling, "Misty and Espio."


	10. Dark and Deadly

**Chapter 10: **

**Dark and Deadly**

"After them!" Mince ordered the Hellhounds.

Misty quickly shifted to her fox form, and trailed behind Espio, who gasped for air, trying to breathe to keep on running. Their plan partly worked; with the exception Mince could see them when they were camouflaged.

Once ever few yards, Misty flared a firetrap for their hunters, to help build up more time, for them to hide somewhere else, but the Hellhounds that trailed them just ran through the fire. Unable to keep his pace Espio started falling back, and Misty was being pushed ahead of him.

"Don't give up on me yet Espio!" Misty cried out, "We're almost to the cells! I know it!"

Espio didn't feel any better, but yet tried his hardest to keep his pace. Ahead was a stairway that led down, and looked darker than it should be. He didn't care, and sped up, thankful it went downstairs, and not up. Misty shot down like a bullet down the stairs, while Espio was nearly half of the speed.

They both reached down to the bottom of the steps, and Misty came to a screeching halt, seeing Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, Aaron, and Tails sitting and resting. Misty stopped and glanced ahead of them, only to find it was a dead end.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Misty squalled, "This is a dead end!"

"Yep." Aaron said.

"Great." Espio growled. "No way out."

Misty looked over and seen the locked cell, and started walking to it, "Maybe we can go through here and get-"

"NO!" The group shouted, and they all tackled her at once, tangling themselves with one another, just to hold her down.

"Zeheck!" Misty barked, "What do you mean no!"

They heard a door slam up in the stairway, and figured they were just locked in. Tails shivered.

"Would you believe us if we were to tell you a Hellhound was in there also?" Knuckles asked her.

"You're kidding? Right?" Espio stared at them.

The group then got off of Misty, and quickly she bounced to her feet, and stared at them, "Since when was a Hellhound sentenced to the cells anyways?"

"Since now." Tails said, "It's no ordinary Hellhound either."

Tails then seen Misty was ignoring him, and stopped speaking.

"So where's Conore?" Espio asked, putting his hands behind his head.

The group was dead silent.

"Um, guys?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Um, about that…" Aaron lowered his ears.

There was loud banging against the locked door that made everyone jump in fright. Over the banging noise was massive snarling, like a put bull's frenzy, making them back off a few steps, scared the door would break down, and they were doomed, if the stairway door wasn't also locked.

The noise then ceased, but the snarling continued in more of a growl and rumbles. Sonic glanced over at the two, and seen Espio's face showed some worry, but Misty's was a what-the-hell face. He shrugged.

"What in hell's name was that?" Misty blinked, "It was like a Tasmanian devil lives there, only with massive rabies!"

"That's Conore." Aaron said standing up.

"The hell are you talking about?" Misty turned and stared at Aaron.

"What we're trying to say is Conore's now a Hellhound." Rouge finished.

The two didn't say a thing, but Misty fell over, and whined meagerly.

"WHY!" Misty cried out.

"Because I made him!" a raspy voice echoed through the dungeon.

Misty opened her eyes, and a crash of metal clanged to the ground, right in front of her face. She leaped in fright, and quickly stood by Espio, shivering.

"Not again!" Espio growled.

"And guess who's with him?" another voice echoed, a little bit darker, but familiar.

Right in front of them, in front of the stairway, two figures revealed themselves from camouflage, and stood in front of them with pride, Mince, and the dark creature, Quazaireon.

"You bastard!" Aaron snarled, starting to take some steps towards them.

Sonic quickly grabbed the wolf's vest, and pulled him back, making sure he didn't go any further near them. Aaron continued to try and get to them, even though he was held back.

"HA!" Mince laughed, "Just like your father Aaron, always willing to pick a fight with me when he had a chance. And yet that was how he died."

Misty then grew furious, and charged at him, "HOW DARE YOU!"

Knuckles seen her in the corner of his eye, and quickly grabbed her around the neck, and held her from going at them.

"And just like your mother, Misty." Quazaireon sneered, "Always wanting to stick up for your friends, and was always willing to take revenge for them."

Misty snarled at him, furious, "And how dare you speak of my mother, cretin!"

Sonic stepped forward, "Why do you guys want to win this war anyways?"

"Because were not alone." Mince explained, "Dr. Eggman made a deal with us a few months ago, and we promised him a Eggman Empire, and he promised us another planet to rule over."

"That would go well after a few weeks." Rouge rolled her eyes.

Quazaireon then rolled his eyes, somewhat agreeing with Rouge, "It's not my idea anyways, it was the Demon Phoen-"

Mince quickly then pulled out a black dagger and held it at Quazaireon's face, "So you speak of his name as to blame on?" He growled.

Quazaireon grew more irritated, "I'm the Priest of Darkness and Leader of our Army! How dare you point that at my face you idiot!"

Aaron slapped his face, "What irony…"

Mince heard his remark, and threw the dagger at him. Aaron saw it coming, and quickly moved, making it hit the lock, breaking it again.

They group stared at it with shock, and Aaron covered his mouth, eyes wide open, feeling now even more miserable, he just opened the door again with another's attack.

The door slightly creaked open, but Mince walked over, and quickly grabbed it, and slammed it shut, but the lock didn't return, nor did he take his hand off the door.

"Now…" Mince smiled, "Seeing Aaron was dumb enough to make such remark, look what he's just gotten you guys into."

Aaron backed off, scared.

"Now it won't be any of you guys going against him," Mince said, eying Tails, "But Tails will!"

Tails' face lightened, and stopped breathing in dread and horror.

_Why me?_

Mince fingered him over, "Come here, or else."

The little fox looked around, and seen everyone's faces looking at him with worry and dreadfulness. He then turned to Aaron, Espio, and Misty. Aaron nodded slightly, Espio closed his eyes in adoration, and Misty nodded slightly, and letting down a teardrop, showing that she's worried too. Tails then faced Quazaireon, and noticed something different.

His mind blanked for a minute.

_All I can tell ya kid, is keep your eyes on his._

Tails blinked a few times, and stared at the dark creature, and seen him nod slightly.

_Why are you telling me this?_

The creature closed his eyes.

_You'll understand when the war ends._

Tails took a deep breath, and glanced at Mince, and started walking towards him, making this walk count, for it could be the last walk. He then stopped, at least five feet away from the chameleon, and held his body tight in his arms, scared.

_Just seeing his eyes turn different was bad enough, but making me fight him as a Hellhound? This is drawing the line!_

Behind him, in front of his friends, a dark barrier appeared, black and purple colored clouds was all that signified a barrier. The group stared up at the barrier, and took a few steps back, seeing it was a bit close to them. Sonic stared at it for a moment, then looked over at Quazaireon, seeing him nod at him, then shielding himself by a corner. The blue hedgehog then faced the two by the door of doom.

Misty then shifted to normal, and stood by Espio, wanting to help Tails, but knew she couldn't, means Mince was there, and the barrier. Espio seen her, and seen how deeply sorry she felt for Tails, and walked behind her. He then slipped his arms under hers, and wrapped her in his arms, and held her tight and close, also feeling how miserable she was.

"Don't worry." Espio tried to comfort her, "we know he can make it."

Misty turned her head slightly, unsure about Espio's thought, then turned and watched Tails, letting down another teardrop, desperate to help him.

------

"Ready my furry friend?" Mince smiled wickedly.

Tails nodded slightly, closing his eyes.

Mince then took his hand off of the handle, and walked next to Quazaireon, instantly being shielded by him.

Quazaireon glanced up, "Why is it you always like to torture before you actually complete what we were told to do?"

"Because it's who I am." Mince smiled, "Besides, one must have a little fun once in a while."

"I cursed him for a reason." Quazaireon growled, "To fight with us, not to make him hunt and kill anything he sees."

Mince grinned, "Now, settle down, and enjoy the show."

Quazaireon let a low growl echoed through his throat, and watched Tails, ignoring the scrawny chameleon. Mince then waved his hand in signaling the door to open.

The door started to creek open, and in a second, the whole room turned pitch black, blinding everyone for a moment. They then were able to regain their sight again, and only seen the dark shadow of Tails' figure in the cloud. They also noticed they were able to see everyone else, but him.

"Dude! What the hell?" Sonic spoke.

"I guess we're not suppose to see him." Rouge said.

"Nor will he see us." Knuckles added.

"Nor can he hear us." Misty finished, her voice light with dismay.

------

Tails blinked a few times, and rubbed them, then lifted his head, and looked around and seen only pitch black. He growled in irritation that he was to fight in a cloud of black.

_Whatever you do,_ Quazaireon spoke once more in his head, _when you see him, don't turn and run, stand your ground!_

Tails nodded to himself, and continued to look around.

------

They were dead silent, unsure of what was going to happen next, all they knew was Conore was around somewhere. No one knew where he stood, no one knew what he looked like, and all they knew was head around there somewhere. The dark cloud made them tremble with worry, barely able to see Tails seemed sad, and hopeless.

Everyone held their breath, knowing what happened to them, may happen in a more horrifying way to Tails, just to see him stand there, unarmed, twitchy, and nerve racked, made them the same way. Sonic blinked a few times, and his gold eyes revealed to him, through the dark fog, Tails in full color, and the wall he was by. He was somewhat standing his ground, but it didn't seem enough.

He spotted red eyes just above the fox's head.

"TAILS!" Sonic screamed out as loud as he could, and started banging on the barrier, "ABOVE YOU!"

The group then looked, up and also faintly seen the red eyes that glowed above Tails.

"TAILS!"

------

Tails barely heard the others, from what he could make out; they were screaming their heads. He figured they knew where Conore's position was at, and thought he was behind him. He spun around on his heels, and seen nothing. He spun back, nothing.

"Unless…" Tails said to himself, his eyes looking up.

He glanced up.

Nothing.

------

"Tails is going to die out there! I swear!" Misty cried out, trying to break from Espio's grip.

"Misty! It's no use!" Espio told her, gripping as tight as he could to hang on to her.

"Espio! Let her go!" Knuckles ordered him.

"Like hell I will!" Espio snapped, "I don't want to take the chance of losing Misty again!"

"A barrier's up, so what?" Sonic asked him.

"Some barrier's are able to be breakable." Aaron said, "And if Tails doesn't spin around soon, death will take him right at that second…"

Misty growled, and bit Espio's shoulder, forming fangs that pierced his skin, and made him discharge, and made her free. Quickly she leaped to the barrier, and shifted to her fox form.

------

Tails heard a sudden click.

He spun around, and quickly slid onto his hands and feet backwards, just missing a swipe at the stomach, and spotted Conore's position, just by the eyes. He quickly tried to scamper away from him backwards, but lost his grip on the sleek but rocky floor, and fell on his back. Rocks underneath kept pinching at his skin, and dampening his fur, starting to make it wet. He flickered his eyes open again, and seen right above him, red eyes, and the white fangs that signaled death.

He barely saw a hand full of claws come down towards him, and quickly rolled out of the way, making the creature miss, and smack his fist into the rock ground. The small fox quickly stood up, and took a deep breath in relief.

The red eyes quickly turned and stared at him, pissed.

Tails smiled, and fingered the creature, now feeling more confident of challenging the Hellhound, "Come and get me."

The Hellhound growled, and charged at him, fangs open, and the fox quickly leaped to the side, and grabbing the bar Aaron used before. Hearing the footsteps draw close, he swung the bar up, and blocked the swipe that was going to his face, and shoved it back. The claws came back again, and the fox smacked the hand again, and made the claws screech against the bar.

Seeing the red eyes and fangs all of a sudden chased to his face, he reared back the bar, and spun around, smacking the beast right in the face, but only made the creature stumble, and not fly, like what the white wolf did.

He grabbed the bar, and felt it, feeling it was bent almost ninety degrees, and tossed it, feeling it was now no use. He needed another weapon.

The pile of rocks!

He bolted towards the direction he thought was the entryway to the cell, and ran faster than he'd normally run, his feet partly sliding across the rocks on the ground. He reached to search for a doorway, but found his head banging into the wall ahead of him. His head colliding with the rock wall, and his body almost feeling crushed by the crash was painful. His ears rang, and he felt dizzy, and stupid, for he thought he'd never do that in his life.

Quickly he turned around, and regained his balance, and seen the creature staring at him, the fangs dripping with saliva, now starting to see the Hellhound was more hungry than it was willing to fight, it wanted to feast on him.

Tails took a deep breath, and got ready to dodge another one of the strikes again, and tried to comfort himself.

"Okay." He spoke to himself, "You're still alive, and well, keep being quick, and get to the door. Stay alive."

The Hellhound snarled at him, and bolted at him, at full speed. Tails swiftly leaped again, and made the Hellhound almost crash into the wall tails crashed into, but only slid, and quickly gained speed. Tails didn't look back, and seen the light through the door that was open. Thinking that if he'd get to it, he'd be safe for a moment, and it'd give him a chance to get another weapon in hand.

He leaped to the door, and grabbed the door itself, spun around, and threw it closed, and quickly stepped away from the door as it closed with a clashing sound of metal and stone. The lock on it then repaired itself quickly, and locked him in, just as the Hellhound roared and clawed at the door.

"YES!" Tails said happily, "Now, the rocks."

He spun around, and faced towards the corner the rocks were at, with some light showing in, he was able to see normally, but seen no pile of rocks there, no more did they exist in his sight.

"WHAT!" Tails shrieked, "Wait! The other room!"

Tails quickly charged to the hole that was separating the two cells, and slid to his knees, and started crawling. About halfway, the door on the other room started banging, making Tails jump, and back off from going into the other room. Just by the sound, the door was wooden.

Tails pulled his body out from the hole, and stepped back a few steps, and looked around, knowing he didn't have much time.

Again he spoke to his own self, "Okay…"

Tails then spotted the bars on the same wall with the hole, and an idea flickered.

"Okay, so if he breaks in from either door, I jump, grab onto the bars, and slip through there, but stay up there, the Hellhound goes through the hole, and spins around to find me, just as he leaps, I dodge and slip back in here or there, and bolt out of the room, and lock him inYES!"

The door behind him then blew open, and quickly he charged to the wall, and leaped up, grabbed the bars, and pulled himself up onto the ledge, and stayed put, only to find that there was another Hellhound on the other side, with the wooden door broken also.

"Crap…" Tails growled.

Another idea flickered, and looked back at the Hellhound that broke the wooden door, and smiled, waving the creature, taunting it.

The Hellhound snarled, and leaped from the sidewall, to him, flying like an eagle at him. Tails smiled a little bigger, and quickly leaped down from the ledge, on its side, and made it crash it's head into the bars that stood firmly in the wall. The beast smacked its head, and fell to the ground with a loud thud, just as Tails ran from landing on his feet.

The fox bolted to the wooden door, seeing it shattered, and took a left, then felt a painful smack right on the nose, and made him fly backwards, and crash on his backside, and laid on the ground. Painfully punched, Tails slowly got up, and rubbed his nose, feeling blood draining from his snout, and stain his fur. He heard then a snarl, and looked ahead to see the Hellhound walk up to him, and stand tall above him, and revealed white fangs once again, and raised its claws, about to make a final strike.

Tails quickly threw up his arm, and turned his head away, wanting it to be over, until he heard a sound of a dog cry in pain. He then heard a crack of bone against wall, and then a splash, the body landing on the ground in water.

The fox laid still, his arm still up, and his eyes still close. Unsure of what happened, he opened his eyes, just as a drop of blood plopped on his head. He looked to see it was a drop of his own blood. He peeked around, and seen the dark mist cleared, and seen no sign of the Hellhound anywhere. The blue eyes quickly scanned the area, and faced towards the sound of the splash that was lastly made.

A black and white, what looked like, female wolf lied in a puddle of water, slowly turning red from the blood that streaked on the back and arm. The wolf lied there, motionless, the long black and white hair being tainted, and the blood drained from her body.

The barrier behind him faded, and Aaron quickly bolted past him, his face filled with dread.

"Mellony!" Aaron howled.

Tails quickly stood up, "Mellony?"

Misty then walked and stood by Tails, holding her muzzle, "Stupid barrier…"

The others quickly wandered over to Tails, and surrounded him for a moment, wondering if Tails was okay, if he was hurt, or if he was severely injured. Tails though didn't speak, and turned his head towards Aaron, who slid to Mellony's body, and rolled her over.

The fox quickly leaped up and ran over to the wolf, and stood by him, and seen Mellony, who's chest seemed like it was completely ripped open, the blood drained out like water out of a shower, and dripped with the water as Aaron tugged her out of the water trap.

"Is she okay?" Misty asked, running over to check on them.

Aaron didn't speak, for he was too focused on trying to save the female wolf's life. He grabbed her and laid her on his legs as he was on his knees, and shook her. He shook, then called her name, and then tried CPR without doing the thrusts on the chest. He felt her heartbeat, and couldn't feel anything. He tried everything.

"Mellony, come on Mellony!" Aaron cried, "Mellony!"

There was a moment of silence, as they seen there, Mellony in Aaron's arms, presumed dead. Aaron felt heartbroken, and laid her body back on the ground, and set his head on her, and held her hand, and sobbed, seeing he'd just lost someone that he most cared for.

"She saved my life…" Tails said, letting a teardrop fall on his cheek, taking some of the blood from his nose with it.

_Fuck man! I thought I was actually going to die there for a moment, but seeing Mellony risk her life for me, I then just felt miserable..._

_But where's Conore, should we all be dead by now?_

* * *

Okay I'd thought I'd take a moment and thank ya for reading to this point.

At this time, I'm undertermined of how long it'll take to finish this one, and go on to #3, I've basically been given ideas right and left, and I've been tryingto plan out all in an orderly fashion.

And btw, the reason I do this ------- dealie is I find it a bit better than those long line deals, that's my case though, besides the longer they are, the more distant thr groups are apart, just so you know.

Again, thank you for reading this far, Chapter 11 should pop up soon, and I hope you enjoy this story, please do review or fave or whatever, and please, no flamming or any insults. innocent eyes Thank ya


	11. Brotherhood Shock

**Chapter 11: **

**Brotherhood Shock**

They sat there, staring at Aaron, who stayed by Mellony's side, as they hope she was still alive. Sonic though, becoming colder hearted, figured she was dead for a while, ever since she leaped.

The blue hedgehog then turned his head away from them, and closed his eyes, annoyed. His arms crossed, and his face bothered with all that has happened.

A sudden sting that hurt, like being stabbed, then smacked his back, and made Sonic fly near Aaron, and slide into the wall, his back being ripped more by the rocks that lied below him. Sonic felt the cold wall smack him in the head and ribs, then felt a sharp rock stab his side, right on the liver. The pain was immense, and he couldn't stand it, and lied on the ground with his arms wrapping around him, and rounded up into a fetus position.

The group spun around to see the attacker. Knuckles, who stared at Sonic, was then smacked on the side, and he went flying, and landed right on top of Sonic, thinking he'd just killed him. Rouge quickly took air and flapped her wings only twice, then was bashed into the ceiling by a strike, and made her plummet to the ground and land on her chest and face.

Misty and Espio quickly stood by one another, and glared around to see if the attacker was even around. Misty shifted to her normal form, and also dragged out a handgun, and held it ready to fire. The two stood their ground firmly, not afraid of their attacker.

The black hedgehog though took a strike to the chest as well, and flew into the bars of the window that was planted in the ending wall, and then landed on the ground, and felt immobilized.

Espio seen her fly, and was also struck, and was sent into the cell he was once in, and as he slid, the door then slammed shut, and the Spellock reappeared, and locked the chameleon inside.

Aaron and Tails were then left standing, the only ones that actually haven't gotten hurt yet.

"You have no chance against us!" Mince laughed.

The two spun their heads to find Mince, Quazaireon, and sadly, Conore, standing by one another. Conore's eyes were bright red, which seemed normal otherwise, and he was holding the white and red wolf, Zamire, to the ground, the one who found Aaron.

"You bastard…" Sonic growled faintly, trying to get up.

"You see what happens when you run into the woods alone?" Conore sneered evilly.

_Must be under some sort of curse if he can say that…_ Tails thought.

Aaron grew furious, "You just killed your own girlfriend! And you nearly killed your cousin! And you nearly kill Tails, twice!" The wolf shouted, his eyes growing with fire.

"Dude! Let me go!" Zamire growled, "There's a freaking pack coming this way! And they're going to barge in here and tear you apart if you don't let me go soon!"

"Wouldn't be any use." Mince snickered as he knelt down by Zamire, "Remember, if you catch the Hellhound's scent, you shift into one."

Zamire let out a deep snarl, and Conore only stared at the wolf, and smacked him along the side of his head, making the wolf shut up.

Tails then grabbed the metal bar that was bent and charged at the group, "You fucking bastards!"

He went to swing, only then to be jerked back, as the bar froze in mid air. He slipped out of the bar's grip, and slipped on the ground, landing on his back, and staring up at the floating bar.

"The heck?" Tails gawked.

The others were able to recuperate, and seen everything was frozen, even the three that stood in front of them, except for Zamire, who struggled to try to get up.

"Get me out! Quick Aaron!" the wolf hollered.

"What happened?" Misty blinked, her head slightly bleeding.

"Chaos Control." The familiar dark voice sneered.

The group turned to see the familiar Shadow stand by the staircase, waving happily at the others.

"Shadow!"

The black hedgehog quickly ran past the frozen figures, and clamped onto the wolf's ears, then held out his hand, "We've only got sixty seconds! Let's go!"

"OUCH!" Zamire yelled, "Sensitive ear! Ouch!"

"You heard him!" Knuckles hollered, "Group up to Mellony, and we'll get out."

Quickly they gathered and made a line. Sonic grabbed Shadow's hand, then tails grabbed Sonic's then Rouge, then Knuckles, then Misty, then Aaron, who held Mellony in his arms.

Misty then leaped, "What about Espio!"

"Yeah! What about me!" Espio hollered through the door.

Knuckles seen the lock, and seemed as if no curse was on it, and figured he had a chance at breaking it. Quickly he broke from the line, and went to the door, and threw his fist at the lock, and was able to shatter it, making the door open. Knuckles ran back to the line, and rejoined hands, and Espio quickly leaped from the door, and into the line, and broke between Misty and Aaron's grip, and linked with the two on both sides.

"Ready?" Shadow asked.

"Ready!" they hollered.

Shadow then closed his eyes and gripped tightly, "Chaos CONTROL!"

That second they all disappeared in a flash of light, and were gone, every one of them, except the three.

The Chaos control then faded, and they regained their minds, able to breathe and think again. Mince blinked a few times, and looked around to see they were gone.

"NO!" Mince roared.

"That's why I tried to tell you MINCE!" Quazaireon snarled, "If you don't get with the process, everything will then be screwed up! Why couldn't you LISTEN!"

Mince turned and stared at the dark creature, "I do see your point." He then faced Conore, "But…"

Quazaireon then seen the spark in his eyes as the chameleon stared at Conore, and knew what he was thinking, "Don't even pull anything sly Mince, unlike Jared, he a were-fox, or as of right now, a Hellhound…"

"Right." Mince nodded, staring at the fox, "I'll be right back."

The chameleon then ran up the staircase, and opened the door, and then slammed it shut behind him, the sound echoing down to them.

The dark creature then looked up at Conore, whose pants were ripped to the knees, and fur ruffed up after the shifting, and then an idea sparked into his head. Even though he really didn't want to do it, at least he knew the mark was still on the fox, "Look here."

The fox looked down at him.

Quazaireon then flashed his eyes purple, and smiled a little at the fox. Staring at him, he saw the fox's eyes flash purple, covering the red, and turning blue after the flash disappeared. The fox blinked a few times, and then gripped his shoulder tightly, as the mark he had on his shoulder burned him greatly, making him shout, and stumble to the ground, and lay on his back.

The dark creature then leaped on his stomach, and stared down at him, "You'd better listen wolf boy, and I mean closely."

Conore stared up, "What do you want?"

"I'm going to make a deal with you." Quazaireon said, putting his paw on Conore's throat, where the chocker band he wore was almost separated into two pieces, "I'll remove that curse, without pain, and let you go from here, one the condition you bring Misty and Espio here."

"Yeah right!" Conore growled, "Like I will, I'd rather see them come after me than them two."

"You won't be able to." Quazaireon said, putting pressure on his throat, "Mince has something in store for you, and I don't want to let him touch you until Ramaindna gets here…"

"Ramaindna?" Conore stared, "Who in hell is that?"

"She's second hand with the Demon Phoenix." The creature replied, putting even more pressure on him, "And is my partner, any other questions before you either agree or disagree to the deal?"

"Yeah." Conore growled, "Why in the world is Mince with you guys? Everyone thinks he's dead, and back then, just from hearing from Misty, he was crazy."

"The placement of our crowd is decided on the dark lord himself." Quazaireon said, "None of this is my doing. Now, are you going to agree to the deal?"

"Depends…" Conore growled, "What are you guys planning on doing with the two?"

"That's Mince's mind you're asking for." The dark creature stared, "I don't know anyways, except maybe forcing the two to reveal who they truly are in the most unreal way."

Conore stared at the creature blank.

"Okay." Quazaireon growled, lifting his paw, "I'll give you til tomorrow night to bring them here yourself."

"And if I don't?" Conore asked.

"If you don't return here with or without them," Quazaireon said, walking off of him, 'I'll make that curse on you go back to active, and you'll shift the moment the curse is activated."

"Fine." Conore nodded.

Quazaireon's eyes lit up again, and beside the fox, a dark hole appeared, like a portal, and the image of the urgent care appeared in it. The fox stared back at Quazaireon.

"Tomorrow night at six after six and six seconds." Quazaireon informed, "be here with or without, you decide. With, you go curse free, without, I've got plans for you, before Mince gets a hold of you."

He nodded, "Where are we anyways?"

"In the very center of the forest." The dark creature told, "Now go!"

The fox nodded, leaped to his bare feet, and ran out into the portal, and the portal quickly disappeared, leaving a puff of black smoke behind. The dark one sighed, and lowered his head, irritated.

"You always like to try and be on both sides Quazaireon." A female voice spoke to him.

Quazaireon lifted his head and turned to his right. There stood a black hedgehog dressed with dark attire, and a large moon scar across her left eye.

Ramaindna.

"You're here already?" Quazaireon blinked.

"Stop trying to be on both sides my friend." The hedgehog smiled, "Until the time comes, stop trying to make friends now."

"Do me a favor then." Quazaireon said, anger rising, "Would you strap Mince down and shoot him in the head? That guy's going to ruin our plan in a week if we keep him here."

She stared, "I don't blame you. But he's our only key to making Misty and Espio weaker, he's a mutant, remember that."

"Oh I remember." The creature growled, "A rape-lust mutant."

--------------------

"DUDE!" Zamire sprung into Conore's arms, "You're alive!"

"And normal!" Misty said with pleasure.

"Yeah." Conore shrugged.

Aaron also ran over, and hugged Conore around the neck, for Zamire took enough of him, "Damn man! We missed you!"

"There's something going on, is there." Sonic growled.

"Yeah, you're right actually." Conore said, dropping Zamire to his feet, "It's a deal with Quazaireon."

"What is it?" Knuckles asked.

"If I don't bring Misty and Espio back where we were at, I shift back into a Hellhound by force tomorrow night, at six six six."

"At the sixth hour, sixth minute, and sixth second." Misty lowered his head.

"Wonderful." Espio rolled his eyes, "I'd rather talk about it with Misty first."

"Huh?" Rouge turned to him, "why?"

Espio grabbed Misty's arm, and started pulling her away from the group, "Just because."

The two left, and the others then focused back on Conore.

"Um, Conore." Tails lowered his ears, "Um, while you were a Hellhound, I was suppose to fight you, and well…"

"What?" Conore's eyes widened, "You're kidding!"

"Another thing." Tails spoke again, "While we were fighting, well, I was about to be attacked by you, and, Mellony just appeared out of nowhere, and leaped in front of me…"

"And you basically just about killed her." Marie spoke walking in.

Conore's mouth dropped.

"Right now she's seriously injured, and is barely able to breathe. We might actually lose her."

"She's still alive?" Sonic looked up plain.

--------------------

Espio opened a white door, and led Misty inside, and quickly shut the door behind her. Misty then spun around and stared at him.

"Why can't we talk about it in front of them?" Misty stared, "Honestly…"

Espio walked over, and sat the both of them down, and grabbed her hand, "I actually wanted to talk about us."

"Um, excuse me?" Misty stared at him, "What do you mean by 'us'?"

"That vow." Espio said, looking down for a moment, then looked up again, "I've kinda thought about it, and, well, we did say I love you when we were separated, and-"

Misty tugged her hand out of his, "Hold the phone! What are you thinking exactly?"

"Us." Espio stood up, "What do you want to do?"

"I don't lead, I follow." Misty said, "So say what you want to do, and I'll either agree or disagree."

Espio rubbed his eyes, getting frustrated, "Haven't we been dating?"

Misty lowered her ears, "You thought we were dating?"

Espio sighed, "I give up."

"On what?" Misty stared.

Espio then moaned loudly, and plopped on the bed beside her, aggravated.

"I'm just messing with you Espio." Misty laughed.

"Huh…" Espio looked up at her.

Misty scooted a little back, and lied beside him, "I was just messing with you. But we're not doing anything until we catch up on alot of things when we have time. So there."

Espio grunted a little.

_Soounds like I'll be admitting things later..._

She smiled, and shifted to normal, "We do though need to talk about that plan. I'm willing to go, if we get back in one piece."

"I'll go too." Espio said.

"On what condition?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

Espio then glanced over, and let a smile crease his face, his eyes softening, and his breathing a bit heavy. Misty stared at him for a moment, then her head finally clicked, and she sighed.

"You really want to?" Misty asked him.

The chameleon tried giving her a innocent look.

"Like I said, No." Misty stood by her word.

Espio then jumped off the bed and sat on the floor, irritated.

--------------------

"How long does it take for them to decide on this?" Sonic grew impatient.

"Unless they're arguing, then a while." Aaron shrugged.

Conore then walked back in from the front door, and sat in one of the chairs, whipping some of the sweat off of his face.

"Where's Zamire?" Knuckles asked.

"Took off." Conore said, "We wrestled for a bit while we were out there, and I won."

"He'll never beat ya." Aaron laughed, "He thinks he can, but he can't."

"Rick's the same way." Conore laughed, "But anyways."

Sonic then started pacing, "I'm really starting to get annoyed by this!"

"Oh shut up Sonic." Rouge growled, dragging Sonic back to his seat, "You're always impatient, and lazy!"

"He actually kinda does have a point though." Shadow said, "Maybe I should check on them."

"I wouldn't." Tails growled, "Who knows what they're doing."

"We need sleep though." Knuckles complained, "My head hurts like hell."

--------------------

He sat with his head on his hand, as he thought about what to do with the fox, if he comes back. And if he didn't, with the other two as his replacement, he also thought about them, and thought about what to do with them.

"MINCE!"

The chameleon jumped in bewilderment, and landed back on his feet, and spun around, his eyes dark red with anger.

"You!" Mince snarled.

Ramaindna shook her head in shame, and growled; "Don't even try that trick with me Mince. Why do we not have the others here!"

"A plan Quazaireon has." Mince growled, his eyes turning back to normal.

"Because of your diddling squat and not following orders!" Ramaindna snapped, slapping Mince along the side of his head, "That was the same with the other two! You gave them a fifteen minute-"

"TEN!" Mince snapped.

"Whatever!" Ramaindna mumbled, "You gave them a few minutes alone, and they come up with a plan to escape. And you didn't stick around and make them-"

"I got tired of whipping." Mince explained, "And of course, Misty made an attempt of trying to fight me, so I whipped her."

The dark hedgehog then quickly grabbed Mince's dark coat, and shoved him against the table behind him, forcing things to crash and shatter.

"YOU IDIOT!" The dark hedgehog snarled, "First of all! You were not to touch her! And second! The plan was to knock them out, bring to SinVice Turret, THEN is when you take over! You were sent here so that the Hellhounds got the right ones!"

"Well then besides Conore's curse," Mince growled back, "Then why was Quazaireon sent over?"

"So you didn't goof up!" Ramaindna gripped tighter, "You're lucky you didn't shoot at her, claws out, and tried yourself for pleasure, or your hide would've been turned to scrap meat for the Hellhounds to feed upon, while you're alive! Cause that would be the first thing I'd do!"

"What if it didn't work?" the chameleon leered.

"Don't, go there…" Ramaindna growled, deepening her voice.

She released him, and walked away from him, walking to a window that showed her the forest outside, and how it was starting to grow dark.

She sighed, "I'm just surprised you even have the ability to control yourself. When she was ten, you would do whatever it takes to get to her, as you were on your way out."

Mince lifted himself from the table and brushed himself off, "Isolation."

Ramaindna rolled her eyes, "Oh, now that doesn't surprise me."

"I'm trying my hardest to keep it under control, until you walked in." Mince growled at her.

"Humph." Ramaindna rumbled.

"You do realize anyways that Espio is also a mutant?" Mince reminded her.

"Yeah." She nodded, "Cause it was our doing, Eggman had agreed with the plan."

"And it failed." Mince laughed a little, "speaking of which…"

"We don't know where he went." Ramaindna growled, "He ran off without warning."

"So what's your second plan?" Mince asked her, creeping towards her silently.

"We'll fight with the army we have now." She stated, "And not just Hellhounds, the whole shebang."

"Even…" Mince grinned.

"Yes." Ramaindna nodded, "Even Kiroshioneze Spirits. Besides, Sonic's starting to lose interest in these guys, and he's about to get a huge wake up call when he sees what's about to be tossed at him."

She then spun around, "Are you related to Hasanik?"

Mince stared at her blankly, "Who?"

"Didn't think so." Ramaindna rolled her eyes again, "Cause you're both seductive chameleons that just want fun, not the real deal."

Quazaireon then walked in, his eyes black as ever, "Yeah, and stupid at the same time."

Mince glared at him.

"Course, like anything else." Quazaireon rolled his eyes, "I don't trust you, and I won't until you do something amazing to get me intrested."

--------------------

Tails wandered the halls, in search of a bathroom, and couldn't find one, but he seen Conore enter a room ahead of him, and wondered what he was doing. He skittered over, and peeked into the room, to find Conore s standing by Mellony, who happened to be awake. He decided to eavesdrop then, and stayed hidden by the doorway.

"You okay Mel?" Conore asked, taking a hand and holding it tight.

"Yeah, I guess." Mellony replied roughly, "What ever happened to Lakia just of concern?"

"We split." Conore lowered his head, "She took Kristen with her, and took off."

"I'm sorry." Mellony told him.

"Your sorry, I should be dead for doing this to you, and nearly tails a third time now." Conore said, lowering his head.

Mellony sat up, and moved one of her bangs from her face, and tucked it more to the right on the head bandage, "Look, it's not your fault that you caught a scent, and you and Aaron became one in the first place."

Conore looked up at the wolf, "I should be asking you, why are you here?"

"Zamire howled for me." Mellony explained.

"All the way back in Night City?" Conore gave her a funny look.

"I was actually on my way over here." She told the fox, "Until Zamire bolted out of the bushes and shook me like a garbage bag saying you were held at the fortress, in the center of the woods, and needed desperate help."

Conore glanced at her, "You'd actually would want to die just for me and the others to live?"

"Tails was the one in danger." Mellony growled, "You realize how important he is to these guys? And you?"

Conore stared at her, "How am I important to him? I nearly killed him."

"Marie and I were curious one day." Mellony explained.

Tails scooted a bit closer, listening carefully.

"Tails came in one day because of an infection, and on that same day, you came in, and out of curiosity, we took both or your samples of DNA, and compared them."

"And?" Conore stared at her.

"They both matched!" Mellony said.

Tails mouth dropped.

"He's the brother you had to abandon because of your father." Mellony told him.

"And that's what got mom killed." Conore choked.

Tails froze.

_Our mom was murdered?!_

"We should probably tell him." Mellony mentioned.

Conore looked over his shoulder, and his ears flicked up more in alert, "He actually knows."

Tails panicked, and quickly ran the other direction, not willing to face Conore.

The two sat in silence for a bit.

"Well, in that case." Mellony lowered her ears, "If you're a ware, that makes him one too. He could start shifting anytime now."

"At twelve he will." Conore told her, "That was when I started."

"That's you." Mellony growled again, "And, is the others okay?"

"Yar." Conore nodded.

Tails went into the waiting room, where Knux, Shad, Sonic, Rouge, and Aaron sat and waited. Sonic, as usual, napped away, and didn't even bother to look up.

Knuckles noticed the stunned look on Tails' face, "You okay Tails?"

Tails slightly nodded as he sat on the ground by Knuckles feet, "Just a bit, shaky."

"Why, what's wrong?" Rouge glanced at him with wonder.

"It's nothing." Tails lied, "Just a spider leaped out of nowhere, that's all."

Aaron stared at him, his necklace glowing, "You're lying…"

Tails stared at him, wanting to deny, "No I'm, okay fine, I am…"

"So what is wrong?" Aaron lowered his ears, "Just by reading your mind, you've been eavesdropping on two people, and found out about something you shouldn't know."

Shadow gave Tails a disgusted look, "Misty and Horny?"

"NO!" They all hollered at him.

Tails lowered his eats, "I'd rather just talk about it with Conore, course Aaron knows, I'd bet."

Aaron nodded, "I can always talk with ya bud."

Tails looked up at him, "Would it be okay if we did talk?"

The wolf nodded, and started walking back to where Tails came from, and quickly the little fox leaped up from the ground, and trailed behind.

"Be back in a few." Aaron said, waving back at them.

Sonic blinked his eyes open, "Huh?"

--------------------

He shut the door, and walked over to the flat bed in the room, and quickly shifted into a white fox with silver flames, and lied on the bed. Tails stared at him with amazement as the wolf shifted.

"Cool!" Tails commented.

"I don't use this form often," Aaron said, "But it does come in good use once in a while. I just don't get though how Misty can take with it."

"A lot of practice I bet." Tails said.

"Now." Aaron said, staring at the fox as he sat, "What's up?"

"I'm just shocked." Tails said, sitting himself on a table, "I mean, if he's my brother, than that makes me a were-fox too! And just dealing with Quazaireon making me one for a while was bad enough."

"There a huge difference there actually." Aaron pointed out, "I'm not born one, but I know a difference between Quazaireon's way, and the natural way. Trust me, there's a huge difference."

"Like what?" Tails looked up at him.

"To start off," Aaron explained, "That small scar underneath your arm, that's the mark signifying a ware, and unlike Quazaireon's way, it wouldn't burn at all. And second, you don't just go glowy and shifted smoothly, for the first few phases, you have to shift whether you like it or not. And that's painful."

Tails lowered his ears, "That helps."

"After the first few phases pass though, you're then capable of shifting smoothly, and it won't hurt at all, anytime, anywhere! But due to the fact Conore also has a Kiroshioneze Guardian, like Misty, you also have to abide by the same rules he's given."

"Which is?" Tails glanced up.

"Normally, you have the power to shift whenever, and can choose to shift on the full moon." Aaron sat up, "But in this case, the rule is you must shift every full moon, at least two days before, or before six on that day by yourself. Failing to do so will only then make you wild the next full moon."

Tails sighed, "Wonderful."

"So since you're ten, you're going to have to scat off with Conore or me during the night of the full moon, and see if you shift anytime soon."

"So, WAIT!" Tails leaped to his feet, "I'm going to be shifting too? Soon!"

Aaron nodded, "Even though Conore got lucky and shifted at twelve, it may not apply the same way with you."

Tails slouched against the counter, "Great…"

"Just think though," Aaron smiled, "After the phases past, you basically over powered the others in some way. In fact, that's a sign."

"Huh?"

"If you notice any changes of eating habits, in your health, burn when touched by silver, or, somehow," Aaron twitched a little, "Send off a certain scent that attracts anyone, or something like that."

Tails also twitched, "Shadow…"

"That's basically why Conore gets trampled by other vixens and wolves." Aaron sneered, "But then again, Conore nearly got attracted to _me_. That was scary!"

Tails whimpered a little, "Now I'm scared…"

"That was during the first few phases though." Aaron sighed in relief, "Then it wears off. But that doesn't stop Conore getting trampled."

The both laughed a little, then tails perked up his ears, "So, don't you have a brother or something?"

"I have a sister." Aaron lowered his ears, "But they're back where I came from, which is a long ways away."

"Where?" Tails tilted his head a little.

"That's the problem." Aaron stared up, "I know where I came from, and I just never seem to remember the name."

"Just by your last name, somewhere foreign." Tails then stared at him, "You're an immigrant?"

"Yep." Aaron nodded, "A foreign exchange student at a small middle school way west of here. Conore was the first to actually accept me, and well, here I am. A white werewolf that's part of the Full Moon Clan and the Armageddon Pack."

Tails stared at him blankly.

Aaron then coughed a little, "Well, um, what else?"

Tails sat on the ground, "I'm just shocked. All this time, my brother was right there in front of me…"

Aaron leaped from the bed and walked to him, "Hey, you'll eventually get used to it, right now, your friends don't know, and that'll be a good surprise for them."

"I don't think so." Tails lowered his head, "Sonic's always kinda been a brother to me, and well, when he's told this, he'll flip out, wondering where in hell he's been all my like."

"Make him say that to you guy's father man." Aaron lowered his ears, "You dad would pull out a shotgun and shoot him in a heartbeat."

Tails then looked at him with shock.

"I'm not kidding!" Aaron said, "Look, the reason you two were separated was because your dad only wanted one kid, and when you came, well, he kinda wanted to abandon you in the woods. Conore and your mom though, three days after you were born, were sent to the adoption center, and spent almost five thousand bucks just to be sent there."

Tails' mouth dropped, "Geese!"

"After that happened, he flipped out, and tried getting you back so his way was to be done, but they would return you, and your mom didn't let him, so well, he killed her right in front of Conore's eyes."

Tails lowered his ears, and wanted to cry.

"I've seen the picture Conore carries with him." Aaron stated, "Your mom was so pretty, she was like a goddess from the heavens, goddess of the moon is what they'd describe her as. She was very pure hearted, and cared for everyone that cared for her. And trust me, if it was the other way around, and she killed your dad, people would call her a hero."

Tails lowered his head, "I can't believe he'd do such a thing."

"I think he's still alive too." Aaron informed, "But don't go an look for him, it might be the last thing you do."

There was then a knock at the door, a light one.

Aaron then shifted to normal, and stood up, pulling Tails up with him, "Nice talking with ya, bud."

Tails smiled, "Yeah, it was really nice actually."

Tails then took a step forward, and gave the wolf a hug around the waist, "Thank you so much."

Aaron stopped, and looked down at Tails, and shrugged, and held him a little in support, "No prob man, come to me anytime you wish you can't stand up to Conore."

"Who's in here?" the sound of Rouge's voice echoed, "Tails? Aaron? Get out here quick!"

They both stared at the door, and then at one another. Quickly they released one another and bolted out of the door, and ran behind Rouge. They took a right and entered the waiting room, in as they entered, there was a large wolf standing in the center of the room. Brownish red, largely built, a chewed up ears, and scars on his back from fights he must've been in.

Aaron raised his hand behind him to stop Tails, and growled at the wolf, "Who the hell are you?"

Conore then came rushing in followed by Shadow, "The hell?"

The wolf grinned evilly, "Well well well, if it ain't Conore. Second hand with Old Man Kinouie. I remember now. You're the one who drew in the Hellhounds, and made half of my pack run wild."

Aaron quickly ran around and dragged Tails with him, and stood by Conore, and started growling at the strange wolf. Tails stood behind the two, and hid himself from the wolf's sight.

"Sure, blame it on me why don't you, Honky Tonk." Conore growled, "Why don't you turn around and go back riding on your white bronco, and lasso a few stripping vixens to keep yourself from me attacking you."

"How dare you try and insult me!" The wolf snarled, scaring the others back a few steps, "You filthy mutt."

Conore didn't feel insulted, but growled a little at him to show a response.

"Why are you here anyways?" Aaron growled.

"Aaron, I thought you returned to the refuge camp back in Sandor?" The wolf sneered.

Aaron felt threatened deeply, and snarled loudly, and went to charge at him with rage, but Conore smacked a hand on his chest, and held him from charging at him.

"And what's this?" The wolf eyed Tails.

Tails started to shake a little.

"Well, I see you two made sweet love and had a kid." The wolf insulted again, "Who's the mother?"

They then both went ballistic, finding that a greater insult, and Misty quickly ran in front of them, and tried to keep them back from attacking him.

"Easy! Easy! We don't need anymore problems!" Misty snapped.

They stopped and stared at her, "Misty?"

"That was a burn that boiled them big time." Sonic commented to Shadow, who nodded with him.

The wolf smiled again, "But besides the black plague there, where's the sweet wolf that has always trailed behind you two?"

"If you're talking about Mellony, she's not here." Tails stood up.

The two stared at him, and lowered their ears, feeling a bit of a tingle down their spine, and settled down a little.

"At least you spoke with decency." The wolf stated.

"Wait, who are you?" Sonic asked.

"Jackal-head here's O'Neil, half wolf, half poodle." Conore insulted again, "He was always a clean freak, and was always fond of other men in a sweet matter."

"If you want to excel this to another level." O'Neil growled, "Then step outside and we'll go at it."

"We just want to know why you're here." Knuckles spoke, "And why you two have to insult one another."

"I'm here to demand that your pack leaves my forest." O'Neil demanded.

"And his pack's called The Clit-Net Pack, our rival pack." Aaron finished.

"And I find that offensive!" Misty growled, "Honestly!"

Rouge lowered her ears, "Yeah! Honestly."

"Cause their specialty is hooking with other pack's mates." Conore twitched, "And then killing them by shoving them out of the bush during hunting season."

Tails also twitched.

"And you're packs known for it's take-anyone-in deal, with that, making your pack greater in numbers, but making the chance of mutiny greater, and are just showing off to say you're the best of all packs."

"Which we are compared to your slob job." Aaron pointed out, "Besides, you guys just claim other's territory by killing the pack off, and if another pack enters, they kill them off too."

"And you're in my territory!" The wolf barked, "And I strongly suggest you leave this instant!"

"Can't." Shadow stepped out from the group.

The others stared at him as if he was crazy.

O'Neil turned and glared at him, "And why not so?"

"Because we won't." Shadow growled at him.

"And because I say so." Espio stepped in from behind him.

The wolf spun around and seen the purple chameleon standing at the hallway entrance. His eyes looked somehow demented, and his body shape showed that something was deeply wrong, just looking a bit wrinkled by the light, and worn, and with his claws scraping the wall behind him."

Misty nudged the two guys, "Back off, now, and head to Mellony's room, now…"

The two nodded, and waved everyone towards another hallway. Rouge, Knuckles, Shadow, and tails quickly scampered down the hallway. Sonic stood clueless, and didn't even bother to move.

Misty quickly snatched Sonic, and dragged him out of the waiting room, then followed by Aaron.

O'Neil turned to see everyone was gone, except Conore, who gestured with his hands. He ran a finger across his neck, telling him he's going to die, then waved his fingers and grinned evilly back at him saying Sayonara. The wolf though was clueless of what he just gestures, and Conore took off in a heartbeat, shutting the hallway door closed.

He spun around to see Espio's eyes changed from gold to the snake-like eyes. Seeing this, he started making way to the door, crept out by the small change.

Espio then shot out a Serpent, and it latched onto the door handle, and kept it there. The wolf stared at the Serpent with shock, and then to Espio, his yellow eyes showing that he wasn't liking what he just saw.

"You're mine!" Espio snarled.

--------------------

Conore quickly ran into Mellony's room, and sealed the door shut, and quickly closed the blinds. He fox then quickly spun around, and leaned against the door behind him, and took deep breaths in relief.

"That was kinda scary." Knuckles stated, "Just the way he looked."

"He hasn't fed for a few days." Misty said, sitting by the foot of the bed, "He then started to look worn and old, and his crave sky rockets if the word blood is distributed to him."

"So what's the deal with the wolf?" Sonic turned to Conore, "That O'Neil guy?"

"Is he really part poodle?" Shadow asked.

Rouge slapped his hand on her face in annoyance, "No Shadow, he's a chipmunk!"

"He's our rival pack." Conore said, "He always think whenever I'm around, my pack's around, and he's always wanting to fight me."

"Why?" Tails asked him.

"We're the most loved, they're the most feared. And they wanted to be the most dominant."

_Okay, two things to point out, one, Oh my flippin' god! I have a brother! And two, what has Espio and Misty chose to do about the whole dark deal thing?_

_I'm not too sure though about Mellony being all right though, I mean, she was severely injured…_


	12. Choice

**Chapter 12: **

**Choice**

"So what are we suppose to do now?" Knuckles asked the two.

"Well…" Mellony sat on the side of the bed, looking better, "Conore's got some news for you all."

Conore glared at Mellony.

"Yeah, Conore." Aaron grinned, "What's the news."

"So Tails' mother is one of you two?" Shadow asked, confused.

Rouge then grew angry, and sucker punched Shadow on the nose, and smacked his back with one of her spin kicks, making him fall to the ground and land flat face in front of Sonic's feet. Misty shifted to her fox form, and shook her head with shame.

"I actually wonder if he's getting more stupid by the minute." Knuckles commented.

"Probably." Misty twitched.

Conore took a deep breath, "Okay, the news is that DNA tests proved Tails and I are brothers."

Sonic sprang to his feet in shock, "What?"

Tails nudged Aaron, "Here it comes." he whispered.

Sonic then got into Conore's face, and felt the intention of grabbing his throat while he stood, "Where have you been all these years if he's your brother! So I had to take care of him, not knowing he wasn't alone in the family!"

"Take it easy Sonic." Knuckles stood up, "What if they had family difficulties?"

"Like what?" Sonic spun and barked, "And I won't take divorce for an answer!"

Misty came behind him and took a slab of wood from the counter, and aimed at Sonic's head.

Conore seen what she was planning, "Don't even Misty…"

The blue hedgehog spun around and found Misty standing behind him with a fake innocent look on her face. He rolled his eyes and spun back to Conore.

"How about a family murder…" Conore grew angry and his ears lied back.

"Of who? Almost Tails?" Sonic growled again.

The others started to back off, as the two grew fiercer at one another.

"Answer this then." Conore stood up, "Why didn't you help Tails look for the family, instead of going off on your little adventures, and nap all day? Why couldn't you at least listen to him for once?"

Sonic didn't reply, but he didn't back down from his position either. He didn't feel guilty at all.

"Keep this in mind Sonic." Conore growled, "One day, no one here's going to be here, except me, and when you're in a situation of life and death, and need my help, I won't give it to you."

He then opened the door behind him, "Now if you'd excuse moi, I have a bloody mess to take care of."

The angered fox then walked out the door, and slammed it shut behind him.

Knuckles shook his head, ashamed of the blue hedgehog, "You've really have become cold-hearted you know?"

Sonic turned and stared at Knuckles, "Well he should've done something about Tails."

"No…" Tails cried a little.

Sonic turned to Tails, "What do you mean no?"

Tails stared up at Sonic, his ears low and his blue eyes grew dark with rage, "You should've done something about me, not him…"

"How do you know what happened to him during his life?" Sonic glared down at him.

Tails was dead silent; he had no intention of speaking.

Rouge grew irritated, "Why is it that all of a sudden you became so compassionless Sonic? You used to be more energetic and loving, now you're a worthless brute."

Tails then followed Conore's footsteps, and also left the room.

--------------------

Espio sat on his knees, holding himself, shaking with exhaustion, as blood trailed from his mouth to the ground. He felt his body finally feeling more energized, and felt more powered, for the amount of blood he driven from the wolf felt good again.

He then lifted his head to find Conore walking in. The fox noticed his eyes were normal again, and his body looking like his old self again, along with the fact that O'Neil was gone.

"Took off running?" Conore asked him, looking around.

The chameleon nodded slightly.

The fox stepped closer to him, "are you okay?"

Espio grabbed a chair nearby and pulled his body into it, and held around his stomach, feeling a bit of an ache, "I haven't felt that bad in ages."

Conore then remembered his deal, "Hey, have you thought about going or not?"

Espio looked up, "Yes, we're going."

"Kay then." Conore glanced at the clock, and seen it was about midnight, "Lets get these blood stains out of the floor and let's kill over for tonight. Besides, I don't know where Marie went off to, but if she gets back, she'll have my hide if she sees this."

--------------------

The dark creature sat on a table and watched Ramaindna played solitaire with dark cards in the air using telekinesis. Both grew bored and tired, wondering what has been happening to the others back at the village, and what Mince was up to. They didn't even bother with either, and stayed in the room the two were held at.

"Red five to the six of clubs." Quazaireon pointed out.

Ramaindna didn't look at the dark creature, but smiled a little, "Thanks."

The room was silent again, and only the small trickling sound of water on rock continued to echo in the room. Quazaireon then closed his eyes, wanting to sleep.

The black door then shot open and made a loud bang, with Mince in the doorway, "I'VE GOT IT!"

Quazaireon leaped in fright, and plummeted back onto the ground on his back with a loud thud behind Ramaindna. The black hedgehog just simply stared back at him, and waved her game to disappear in a small cloud of black mist.

"About time." She growled, "And they call you a scientist, yeah right."

"It takes time my sweets." Mince exclaimed.

She raised an eyebrow at his comment and wasn't too pleased for him to say that, "Excuse me?"

"But come! Come! I must show you!" The scrawny chameleon waved and left the doorway.

"Come on Quazaireon." Ramaindna sighed.

The dark creature didn't bother to move, for the pain was bad enough. But knowing what would happen if he didn't go, he rolled over, and stood up, and staggered behind Ramaindna, angered by the chameleon's entrance. He still wished that it were the old way, he'd do it himself.

They scurried down the stairs, and walked in the halls with peace, only their shoes making the noise in the hallway. They then walked into a room of which seemed more of a lab instead of a cell. Annoyed by this, Quazaireon was desperate to kick him out, even if it means falling behind.

"I found something that'll be surprising to you more than anything." Mince grinned.

"Just don't go and try to talk about the details of this idea." The dark creature implored, "Just make it simple and basic."

"Will do." Mince nodded, "But here's my idea."

Quickly Mince dragged out his laptop and typed in a password, and revealed a strand of DNA, "After looking about these guys' DNA samples, Espio I found to be most perfect for my plan."

"If you're about to say make him into a more vicious mutant, then I'd stop now." Quazaireon growled.

"No actually." Mince grinned, "This will make him more dangerous, but without them knowing it."

"Continue…" Ramaindna waved her fingers at him.

"After looking at his DNA, I found the perfect way they'll be ours without them knowing it."

"Which is?" The dark one growled.

"It's like a poison!" Mince sneered, "Only this injected by the Serpents Espio releases. Once they've bitten one of them, take for example, Sonic."

He typed in a command, and a small little demo was viewed to them, showing Sonic being attacked by Espio, then zooming in, revealing a bloodstream.

"Once Sonic is bitten, the poison quickly heads to the brain, once it hooks onto a brain cell, it injects itself into the nucleus, and makes a strand of DNA of a Serpent Licker Mutant. Once the strand attaches, it sends off a radiation that forces the other brain cells to do the same. Along with that, recodes the DNA strand to make the victim mutate into a mutant."

"I said SIMPLE dammit!" Quazaireon barked.

"In short," Mince smiled, "Once this poison is injected to Espio, it'll make every one of the Serpent bites dangerous, forcing whoever's bit to become a mutant themselves!"

"Painful or painless?" Ramaindna asked.

"Depends on the bite." Mince stated.

"Well, I like the idea." Ramaindna smiled.

"It'd be much easier than catching them and doing it by hand." Quazaireon nodded, "Conore's probably going to bring them two here, so basically, everything's workin' out for once."

"What if he doesn't?" Mince stared.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure." The dark one smiled, "Let them sleep tonight though, they've had a rough night."

--------------------

Morning came, the sun was barely out, and the forest was filled with the morning doves, crows, ravens, and other life of the air. The village seemed dead, but the urgent care was the only thing that contained the early birds.

"SONIC!" Amy's voice broke through the entrance.

Sonic's body jumped a little, and the sound of her voice echoed through his head.

_Great, why is she here?_

The hedgehog stayed in his bag, and pretended to sleep. Hoping that no one would disturb him, he laid his cover over his head, and turned his back to the door. Knuckles woke up to Amy's call to Sonic, and decided to wake Sonic up, in spite of being coldhearted.

He got to his feet, and put his shoes on, and went right by Sonic's body. The echidna then carelessly stomped on one of Sonic's hands, making shout out in pain. He then pretended to trip and stomped on his backside, popping his back several times, then stepping on his arm. Sonic yelped in pain, for knowing Knuckles, the pain was immense.

"Wake up Sonic, Amy's here." Knuckles sneered.

The blue hedgehog grunted, and flipped his cover off, and stood up, back bent over and body in pain.

_Damn echidna, that flipping hurt!_

Sonic then dragged his feet to the waiting room, where Amy sat with her pink hammer in her hands, the head on the floor.

She spotted Sonic, and yipped in happiness, and ran into his arms, and shoved the hedgehog back on the floor on his back, where more pain struck.

"Oh Sonic!" Amy cried, "I'm so sorry for leaving you!"

Misty then walked in as her fox form, "What's going on?"

Amy turned her head and glared at the fox, "You're still here?"

Misty wanted to make an insult to her, but figured it was best not to, she's just thirteen anyways.

"Yep, and happy to be here." Misty replied, "But why are you here?"

"I missed Sonic, that's all." Amy smiled and hugged Sonic even tighter.

"Amy…you're…choking me…" Sonic informed her, "Stop…please?"

Amy sat up and stared at Misty, "Are you okay?"

"You don't want me to answer that…" Misty lowered her head a little with irritation, "Tired is all I'll put it as."

Espio then walked in from behind her, and crashed into one of the chairs, and set his feet on the coffee table with some magazines on top, not seeing they were also stained from last night.

"Heya Espio." Amy smiled at him.

Espio smiled a little, and waved his hand back at her for a second, then closed his eyes.

"Is today Monday?" Rouge walked in, "Cause it feels like one."

"Dunno, dun care." Shadow said following behind, "But seriously, who's the mother?"

Rouge spun around, "Are you _still_ on that? It was an insult towards them, not a actual fact!"

"What happened?" Amy stood up.

"Long story Amy." Sonic laughed a little, "But that was a good burn."

A hard smack then came from behind his head, and knuckled Sonic's head forward into Amy's shoulder, shoving her off of him.

"Don't get any ideas." Knuckles said holding some coffee in his hand.

"Hey? Are the other's okay?" Amy turned to the echidna, "Where's Tails?"

They shrugged.

"Probably in Mel's room." Misty guessed, sitting next to Espio in another chair.

"Dude! Get this!" Shadow spoke, "Conore's Tails' older bro!"

Amy stared at Shadow with shock, "He has a older brother!"

"Yep." Knuckles answered.

"That's great!" Amy smiled, "Now Tails has someone to look up to!"

"Tell Sonic that." Espio said, putting his hands behind his head.

The blue hedgehog let a low growl pass though his throat, angered still.

Misty yawned, "Another day, another torture trip."

"No kiddin." Espio sighed.

Misty then leaned over and licked the chameleon's cheek in comfort.

"Well I'm headed back to bed." Sonic said getting up, "I'm tired."

"Like you haven't been." Tails growled walking through the hallway doors.

"Tails, are you okay bud?" Rouge looked at him with some worry in her eyes.

"I don't know." Tails said, putting his hand on his head, "I feel weird, like, internally weird."

Misty quickly leaped over the chair's arms, and landed in Espio's lap, and lied there, "Like how?"

"I don't know how to explain it really." Tails explained, "It's kinda like, I don't know, a abnormal feeling in your stomach."

"Probably from getting upset last night from Sonic." Knuckles blamed.

"Hey now!" Sonic growled, "Ain't my fault that-"

"Shut it, Sonic!" Rouge snapped, "We don't want to hear it."

""Fine, I'll be in my bed." Sonic growled, stomping past Tails.

"And stay in your bed why don't ya for a while." Shadow remarked.

Amy sat in a chair next to Knuckles, "I missed a lot didn't I?"

"Look, Amy." Misty perked her head up, "If you want to come with us, you can, just no complaints, okay?"

Amy flicked her head up, "Really?"

"How nice of you Misty." Rouge grinned a little.

Espio then started to scratch Misty for a while, "Then after a short while, she insults her enemy, haven't changed a bit."

Misty smiled sweetly at the chameleon.

Tails then sat down right by Amy holding his stomach, "I'm kinda hungry, and anyone got anything to eat?"

Mellony then walked in, and heard Tails' question, "Aaron and Conore went out to grab something for us all."

"Cool." Knuckles smiled, "And you look all of a sudden better."

"My wounds tend to heal faster than normal." Mellony smiled.

"That's cool." Amy thought.

The main doors then banged open with Conore's foot kicking them open, and quickly the two guys entered with bags of food.

"Food for everyone!" Aaron called out, "Come and get it!"

Shadow, Tails, and Knuckles were the first to leap and tackled Aaron to the ground and grabbed the bags of food from him. Conore came strolling and set the bags right by the coffee making machine, and Mellony pranced over to him and gave him a light kiss on the lips in greeting.

Misty leaped off of Espio, allowing him to get up, and sat by Rouge, not hungry.

"Not really hungry?" Rouge glanced down looking through a bag.

"Nope." Misty shook her head, "I'm not really fond of the village's food anyways."

Sonic then came bolting out the hallway doors, and slid to the bags, "FOOD!"

"I see about everyone's happy." Rouge stated, leaning against the wall with a small salad in a black bowl.

"Meh, I guess." Misty shrugged, "I'll be more happy when we return to that stupid tower in the middle of the forest."

Rouge took a bite, and nodded slightly.

Aaron then came by and kneeled by Misty, "Aren't you at least a bit hungry? You'll need the energy later ya know."

"I know." Misty sighed, "I'm just not in the mood."

Aaron then unraveled a container from a bag, and inside it was large size shrimp with sauce to go with it.

Misty's face lit up with happiness, and attacked the box with glee, "SHRIMP!"

Aaron smiled and stood up, "Works every time."

Rouge snickered a little.

Misty then flipped open the box and dug in like the others, "I love you Aaron! Thanks a bunch!"

"No prob sis." Aaron smiled.

Rouge set her salad down on the counter and watched the others as Aaron also stood by her.

"I have to ask," Rouge spoke to the wolf, "How old are you?"

"Sixteen." Aaron shrugged, "younger than Conore though by a month. You?"

"About to turn eighteen." Rouge replied.

"Lucky…" Aaron rolled his eyes.

Misty then strolled back up to Aaron, and gave him the tray that used to contain the shrimp back in his hands. Both Aaron and Rouge stared at the tray, then her with amazement.

"Already? Sheesh!" Aaron stared at the white fox.

Misty smiled, "I love shrimp, what else do ya expect?"

Aaron shrugged and tossed the tray in the garbage next to him. Misty then shifted to her normal hedgehog form and stood by the other two, happier than ever.

"Feels good to eats seafood." Misty smiled.

"And to watch the others dig their faces in the food." Rouge laughed a little.

"We do want you and Espio though to be extra careful." Aaron warned, "Who knows what they've got under their sleeves."

Misty growled, "No kidding."

Rouge then glanced at Aaron, "Is there a shower here?"

Aaron rolled his eyes, "Nope, just the river three miles from here."

Rouge growled a little in irritation, "Wonderful to know…"

Conore then slid in front of the three, "So, have you two decided?"

"Yep, we're goin'." Misty told her cousin, "Whenever you're ready."

"Start preppin' then," Conore told her, "cause I want to leave here at twelve and be back by at least three."

The black hedgehog nodded, "I'll grab Horny here and we'll get goin'."

"Hey! Where's Tails?" Rouge asked the three.

Conore sighed, "I'll be back…"

--------------------

Tails lied on his bed gripping his stomach, unable to eat, move, or even try to breathe, whatever he did, the pain would only sting him again and again. He rolled to his side, right by the edge of the bed, and stared down at the tile below him, white and gray mixture all around the floor.

Another sting of pain struck him in the stomach, and he twitched and moaned, unable to deal with it, and closed his eyes tightly. The sting crawled up his chest, and tenderness struck in his chest, making his hands move up to his chest, having the feeling something inside was trying to get out. Her curled up into a tighter ball and cried more.

Conore spotted him through the large window and entered swiftly, opening the door wide enough to see the small fox's full body.

"What's going on? You okay bro?" Conore asked him.

Tails shook his head his eyes sealed shut.

The teen fox then shut the door behind him and sat down beside him, "Where does it hurt?"

"It was my stomach." Tails scuffed, "But now it's my chest, it's killing me…"

Conore sighed and dug into his vest pocket, and took out a bottle of aspirin, and shook it a few times to drop out two pills. He then lowered his hand by Tails hands.

"Take these, should help some." Conore tried to help, "Otherwise, I don't know what to do for you. Marie's gone, so, I'm sorry."

Tails grabbed the aspirin and swallowed the pills, then grabbed the water beside his head and chugged it down hard. Setting the glass back on the small table, he remained curled up in a ball. The pain was still vast, but he knew the aspirin should help after a few minutes.

Conore sighed and lowered his head, "Sorry about last night."

"Don't be," Tails said weakly, "It's not your fault."

"I know." Conore turned his head slightly away, "I'm just worried about your friends and what else could happen if we're not careful. Espio is our only solid example of what would happen if we're not thinking, besides the Hellhounds."

The fox sat up, "What else is there to be careful of?"

"Like you seen," Conore replied, "Other wolf packs, along with other Traveling Earthesens. Many like to challenge one another to prove who's stronger. I find that pointless."

"You're Second hand of a pack?" Tails looked up, "What's the pack's name?"

"The Armageddon Pack." Conore said, lying down on the bed, "I've been in that pack for about six straight years now."

"That's a long time." Tails blinked, lowering his arms.

"But as you seen, we're not the only pack." The fox continued, "The Clit-Net Pack's our rival pack, then you have The Moon-Turn Pack, The Odrianal, and many others."

"And you're the most loved." Tails stated, "How so?"

"We're the strongest pack of all." The fox went onward, "Like O'Neil kinda said, we take about anyone in, but only those worthy enough. We have a pretty good sense of who's right to take in. Only kicked out one when I joined."

"So, means I'm you're brother…" Tails turned to him.

"You're not quite accepted." Conore explained, "You need to be at least under my supervision for a full week in that pack to say you're worthy."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Tails shrugged.

Conore sat up, "You know that blood stained tree that you guys seen before we met up again?"

"Yeah?" Tails asked.

"One of another pack's members was killed by O'Neil's pack." Conore growled, "Competition is basically one thing to deal with, even within your pack."

Tails stared, "So?"

"Winter." Conore stated, "The cold nights you have to sleep in, sleeping on bare ground surrounded by trees and other creatures and such. Hunters."

"Hunters?" Tails stared with confusion, "Why hunters?"

"Werewolf hunters hate us." Conore turned to him, "We usually don't leave a forest without a hunter spotting you and taking a few shots at you. And usually they don't miss."

Tails took a gulp, "Scary."

"Enough though, I need to get going." Conore stood up, "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah actually." Tails smiled and stood up, "A lot better."

"Don't eat a bunch." The fox told him, "That's probably your problem."

--------------------

"Come on now, pleeeeaaase?" Shadow begged the two so-called 'lovers'.

Misty just set her head on her hand and shook with displeasure. Espio quickly leaped to his feet and glared at Shadow, more frustrated than Misty.

"For the last time, NO!" Espio growled, "Never in my life will I."

"Sure you won't." Misty rolled her eyes, "You kept yourself quiet long enough, next thing you know, you'll be in bed before anyone else can eat dinner."

Espio stared at the black hedgehog, "Why are you going against me?"

"Cause it's true!" Misty laughed, "I've seen it, and chameleon's have the tendency to be the horniest, so there."

"Come on man." Sonic sneered, "I mean, you two _did_ make a vow."

Espio stared at Sonic, "Try and make me."

"You'll be doing it back at the tower, that's a fact." Conore said walking in the room, "Now come on! We need to go."

Sonic then sprung up, "Not until we see these two make out."

Aaron shook his head, "Come on now, you can't make them."

"And without your help it can easily be done." Sonic stated, "Just give them a ten second run and that's it. Then it's move on with life."

"Uh huh, sure." Espio rolled his eyes.

Sonic smiled, "One who knows nothing is stupid, one who knows everything is a smart ass."

"Like you." Misty burned.

"Exactly!" Knuckles laughed a little, dragging Sonic back in his chair, "Now would you just shut up?"

"I feel insulted now." Sonic complained.

"You did it to yourself." Rouge pointed out.

Quickly the three went out the door in a heartbeat. Tails then walked in, gripping his stomach in a bit of pain. Aaron watched his movements as if he was looking for some specific detail.

Tails grabbed a arm of a chair and leaned, "Okay, where's Marie?"

"Still gone." Sonic stated, "Are you okay?"

Tails felt his back pop a few times and grew a bit worried, "No. My stomach's all cramped up, my back just popped a few times, painfully, and my hands are now starting to hurt."

--------------------

They were at the tower in no time; they left at least an hour earlier than they should have. Misty carried her cousin and trailed Espio, who's wings spread wider than hers by a few feet. The tower though wasn't visible, even though Conore knew where it was.

They both dove down and went through the thick trees surrounding it, and in a blink of an eye, they seen a black tower stand in front of them as they landed. Quickly Conore leaped off of Misty's back and took off running to the tower.

"I'll be right back.' Conore hollered as he ran as fast as he could in normal form.

Quickly Misty shifted to her normal form as a hedgehog and leaned against a tree, and sighed, "Why are we doing this again?"

"I want revenge…" Espio growled, mutating to normal, "What he did, I can't bare the thought."

"I don't blame ya." Misty nodded.

Espio then leaned over close to the hedgehog, "But if you'd be of some service when we enter…"

Misty quickly smacked the horny chameleon in the face with the back of her hand, "Don't think too far ahead there Horny, we're not out yet."

Espio shook his head a little to lose some of the tingle from being smacked, then embraced her, "Now come on, a little right now."

Misty quickly grew irritated, "Espio, don't you dare try me again."

Espio then quickly slipped his tongue into her mouth and pulled her tight to him as he leaned against her against the tree. His tail quickly wrapped around her right leg, and his claws that he formed gently gripped her. Misty wanted to smack him so bad, but feared it'd only make him even hornier, and growled a little in her throat. She really didn't feel like making out, especially when they're near trouble.

His tongue continued to tangle with hers, even though she put no effort to do the same with his and squirmed in his grip. Feeling the heat rise in him though, Espio pushed himself more on her and gripped her even tighter, wanting her to help out, and not make him do all the work.

Misty though made him do all the work, for didn't want to be part of it, and knew where they were at was a terrible time. She tried to lift her arms, but the grip and pressure was tight enough, and made her stay where she stood.

Espio pushed his body even more on hers and demanded her to help. She then couldn't take it, and shook her arm out of his grip, claw marks screeching her skin, and she was able to grab his horn. Using all the force she had, she shoved the chameleon off of her and kicked him in the stomach, making him tumble backwards over a stump, and making him do a back flip.

Misty then brushed herself off, "Must be the mutant side wanting some."

Espio quickly leaped to his feet and rubbed his head, and stared at her, "Now come on! You know that I can't be easily pushed away ya know."

"It will be if you keep it coming." Misty warned, "Now focus!"

Espio stood up and brushed his own body off, "I can't, I'm starting to get horny for no reason. So don't blame me."

"Sure," Misty said sarcastically, "Just don't go trying to get anything off of either one of us."

Espio stepped to Misty, "Look, I'm sorry, I really am, but this is going to kill me if I don't do something."

Misty sighed, "I understand, really, but try and save it for later."

Espio grabbed his chest, feeling a pinch of pain run through him, "I can't."

The hedgehog stared at him even longer, "Are you feeling any pain?"

He nodded.

"Save it." Misty growled, "Look, lets go inside."

--------------------

Quazaireon paced around Conore, staring him up and down, unsure whether to let him go. Ramaindna course was starting to grow very impatient, but held it in, and waited for a word to be spoken.

The dark creature smiled, but raised and eyebrow, "I'm willing to, but the fact."

Conore stared at him, "What fact?"

Quazaireon finally walked away, "The fact that you'll still be loose, and the fact that I'm putting our fate into a stupid, crazy, blood-thirsty, and mutated chameleon's hands, is something I'd never would've done."

"Then just let him go." The dark hedgehog growled, "Misty and Espio just entered the building, and Espio's on the brink. Mince wants him at his brink, and doesn't want that to fade because of your waiting."

Quazaireon sighed, "Will do."

The fox stared at the dark creature with concern, "Well, can I go?"

The dark creature looked up at him, his back turned, "Yes, go."

The fox nodded slightly, letting out a slight grunt, then spun around and headed to the black door. The dark one though smiled, and his eyes glowed purple, and a small ring of dark cloud appeared in front of Quazaireon's feet, and quickly floated over behind Conore, and embedded itself beneath the fox's clothing, the second before the door shut behind him.

The hedgehog sighed, "What are you up to now?"

"Outwitting that stupid mutant." The dark one grinned, "He has to do all the experiment crap to get something that comes in natural, but I can do a simple poof, and the person's a half fox, half beast in a second."

"So what did you just do?"

"I'm going after Tails." The dark one grinned even bigger, "Like I did once, this will be much worse."

The same black door then was kicked open, and Espio quickly slid in with Misty trailing behind him. Quazaireon just simply sat on the ground and smiled.

Espio slapped his foot against a puddle of water, "What do you want cretin?"

Quazaireon simply shrugged, "I'm not he one who wants you…"

Out from a corner, an electrical net came out, and wrapped itself around the chameleon's body, tangling him inside, and letting out many shockwaves, trying to stun the chameleon from moving. Espio quickly tried to fight the net, and shifted quickly to his mutant form, and tried to tear at the net using his fangs, claws, and Serpents. The shocks though kept him from attacking and attempting to try and release him.

Misty quickly tried to help him, but a spike net came flying and wrapped around her, stabbing her on her head, back, belly, everywhere. She plummeted to the ground, making the small spikes on the net force themselves into her. She also tried to escape, but the net itself was sharp with tiny razors that cut through her gloves and her clothing. She then knew that if she would to fight even more, she would be sliced and diced, and stayed still.

Mince then walked by them and kneeled, "Well, try and fight for your life, but you won't succeed my friend."

Espio stared at the mutant chameleon with his snake eyes, and hissed violently, wanting to kill him with his bare hands, but eh net kept him down. If he didn't move, the net wouldn't shock him.

Mince smiled, "Finally, our goal will be fulfilled, and so will mine, thanks to your cousin's dedication."

Quazaireon then came next to Misty, and put his paw near her, the paw glowing a faint purple around it. Misty moved a little to the right, away from him, and felt one of the ropes rip into her leg. She kept still, but the pain hurt, she begged it wasn't lead blades that were stabbing into her.

Mince poked his hands through as Espio mutated to normal, but with eyes still snake like, and grabbed his chin, "You may have escaped me once, same goes with Misty, but neither one of you are going back, ever…"

Espio growled a little, getting annoyed.

The scrawny chameleon then leaned closer and grinned, "In fact, you'll die, and Misty will be our breeder for life."

Espio then snarled and snapped at Mince, with the net shocking him again, and forcing the young chameleon to stay down. Mince drew out his hand, but his head beside Espio's, still wanted to speak.

"But then again," he whispered, "I could always have you do the job for me, but then I would miss all the action, and would also have to take part, making it a threesome."

Espio then couldn't take his torturing words anymore, and pushed against the electric net, and snapped at his face. The electricity got fiercer and more violent, and soon suffocated Espio's heart. He struggled to breathe and he struggled to keep his sight.

"Throw them in the cage four doors down." Espio heard Mince's command faintly; "I'll then take care of it from there."

Espio's heart then stopped, and his sight and hearing was gone.


	13. Torture Test

**Chapter 13: **

**Torture Test**

His heart was beating faintly, and the pressure to his chest seemed like someone sat on him for an hour. His eyes hurt as he tried to open them, and his arms felt useless as he tried to roll over to his stomach.

Where was he at was useless to ask himself, but why he hurt was obvious, no thanks to the net that nearly killed him. He rolled to his stomach, and laid his hands on the ground, wanting to push himself up. The chameleon struggled, his arms like jelly, not willing to hold up. Seeing a bar nearby, he clung to it, and pulled himself up, his body feeling like a ton.

He was finally able to sit up, and lean against the bars behind him, gasping for air, and his body trembling with weakness. The net somehow seemed to almost paralyze him, due to the fact he passed out.

He blinked, and flicked his head up and forward.

_Mince!_

He went to leap to his feet, only to find that his legs wouldn't respond, and went back on the ground, side first. He lied on the ground for the moment, his mind scanning through what he remembered, before he was brought to what looked like a cage.

He remembered Misty was also trapped in a net, but not what he had. Mince then came to his mind, and the last thing he said to him only made him furious. He growled a little, claws forming in his hands, and his back popping twice.

He wanted to mutate so bad, but knowing what had happen even before this was terrible, and he didn't want to make it any worse. He kept his claws, but made his back pop twice again, putting his bones back in right. He pushed himself up from the ground again, and was able to push himself without the bars, then quickly knew that his legs should then be able to respond again.

The chameleon turned, and gripped the bars again, and pulled himself up again, feeling his legs getting a little response, and were able to move underneath him. He sighed in relief, knowing at least he wasn't paralyzed for life. He set his right foot forward, and pushed himself from the bars. He quickly put out his left foot, gaining balance again, but still shook, his legs seemed to respond. They just needed time.

He leaned back and grabbed the bars again, and slid down to the floor, and sat there, scared.

"That bastard's gonna pay when I get out of here." Espio growled to himself, "That last comment he made was only a death wish."

He pulled up his knees, and laid his arms on the top of the kneecaps, and set his head on his arms, disgusted by Mince's comment. He didn't even bother to ask himself where Misty was, just by the last look of her in the spike net before he was out, she was mincemeat.

His side started to ache a little, and he lowered his left arm to grab his right side. As he grabbed his side, he felt a little wetness drip around his hands. Quickly he glanced down at his side, and found his blood with a mixture of a strange dark blue solution leaking out of his skin. He quickly smothered most of it off onto his arm, and took a closer look, seeing a small puncture wound the size of a quarter. There were three of them on that side, promptly then he turned to his left, and also seen three more.

"One for each Serpent…" Espio growled, "But what was it?"

A door flung open across from his cage, and a black hedgehog walked in. The chameleon growled, knowing that the hedgehog was Ramaindna.

The black hedgehog opened his cage, and stepped in, then closed it behind with telekinesis as she walked towards him. Espio started to snarl, and crawled backwards to a corner, his back arched, and his claws drawn out.

She knelt, "I guess asking if you're alright is out of the question."

Espio's eyes quickly turned snake-like, "What did you do to me bitch! And what did you do with Misty?"

She smiled, "I'm not taking any part of your subtle change, but, Misty's still in one piece."

Espio didn't move from his position, and kept his raging eyes on her, "What was done to me then, and you'd better haven't laid one finger on her!"

She stood up, and grinned down at the chameleon, "You've been given an enhancement that makes your enemies what you are. Misty though, she's already been touched."

Espio prepared to lunge at her, "How dare you!"

She smiled and turned to the cage door, "What? She was knocked out, it was painless."

Espio snarled, and lunged at her, his claws aiming at her abdomens, and fangs quickly drawn out for her shoulder. Ramaindna turned her head slightly, and grinned a little, and snapped her fingers. The hedgehog then disappeared in a cloud of black mist, and silently whiffed over to the cage entrance.

Espio then crashed to the ground, his side striking with pain again, and slid over to the other side of the cage, smacking his head against the bars. He slowly slapped his hands on the ground, and pushed his body up, and stared at the hedgehog with his mouth bleeding a little.

Ramaindna smiled and turned her head towards the door. The door swung open, and Misty was shoved inside, followed by Mince, who cracked a whip behind her, missing her back by an inch.

Espio's jaw dropped, his eyes shifting back to normal gold, seeing his long-lost love being tied up, choking on her steel collar on a chain leash, and being whipped. Her clothes were shredded, and bloody, she had cuts and bruises everywhere. The sight was so horrid, it seemed like this was a reoccurrence of Jared being tortured, only since Misty was a teen woman, and Mince was an adult male, it was much worse.

Ramaindna waved her hand, and the cage door opened, and Misty was grabbed by the chain leash, and was yanked in by Mince's forceful grip. He dragged her in, and threw her against the bars in front of him. She lied on the ground motionless, and barely moved, as the scrawny chameleon took off her collar, and untied her. He stood up, and gave a final crack of the whip, and smacked her across her stomach, causing more pain for her, as she cried out, tears streaming down her face, carrying some blood down her cheeks.

Mince headed out of the cage, and slapped the door shut, then turned to Espio, a wicked grin creasing his face, "Better prepare yourself, you know you'll turn, and won't be able to control yourself."

Espio let a small growl echo in his throat, and stared at the chameleon with anger, as the two slammed the door and locked it behind them.

Misty rolled to her side, and gripped her stomach with agony, crying for her life. Espio quickly scuttled over and sat on his knees beside her, and grabbed underneath her arms, and pulled her up on his knees. He stared down and leaned forward to see her wound she just received. Just by the look, it may haven't ripped her clothes, but it definitely tore some skin beneath.

He then leaned back a little and gripped her cheeks, lowering his head near hers.

Misty turned her body around and started to sob in his lap, "Oh my god! It was horrible! What he did! I'd thought he'd kill me!"

Espio then started to let down a few tears, and pulled her up, and hugged her tight, deeply upset with her, "It's okay, I'm here, and we're both going to get out of here."

Misty continued to sob; "I haven't been so terrified in my life, now I don't know what to do!"

Espio gripped her even tighter, "Don't worry, we'll get out."

_And I'll kill that bastard!_

He leaned against the bars, and curled his tail around her waist, desperate that he could come up with something before it was too late.

----------------------

Conore strolled the woods with an easy pace, and kept his eyes forward, wondering if the other two were going to be okay, he figured they weren't, and blamed himself greatly. He sighed in distress, not able to stand the fact that he did the dirty work for the Dark.

A few yards away, there were sounds of tree branches breaking, leaves crackling, and yelps and barks of wolves. Conore flicked up his ears, and knew exactly who it was.

Quickly he sprinted forward, trying to avoid being seen, leaping over the logs that stood in his way in the drainage he was in. He didn't dare shift, for the aroma of the Hellhounds could be near, even though it was morning, he knew that it took almost twenty-four hours to filter if caught in the morning.

Some werewolves dropped in front of him, one black with white markings, and the other red with a crimson cap and tipped ears. Conore went to leap over them, not willing to let them stand in his way, and soared over their heads.

Another werewolf then dropped and snagged on Conore's back, and shoved him down into a pile of old wood, drilling its claws into the fox's back. They both landed, and the wood broke like firecrackers underneath Conore's stomach. A sharp stick stabbed into Conore's right side, and another branch stabbed into his left leg, pain hitting from the two spots and flowing all over.

The fox squirmed in the wolf's clutches, and tried to snap at the wolf's hands, but the wolf would keep pushing his hands further into his back, the claws scraping against some bones. He continued to struggle, as the two werewolves he leaped over came and held him down by the arms and legs, forcing their claws into him.

Other werewolves started to surround him, mainly males, and only two females stood near him. Scratched and torn everywhere on them, blood rained down, and their eyes filled with amazement, the fox knew they were sex toys only for a while, to his rival.

"Conore, Conore, Conore." O'Neil stepped forward, the pack splitting a little, making a small path to Conore, "When will you learn?"

Conore forced his head from one of the grips, "I was just passing through, and I don't need any nonsense from you! Now tell your stupid minions to let go of me!"

O'Neil laughed and kneeled in front of him, "So anxious to leave? No, you're our guest, stay as long as you want, so I can finally put you out of your misery."

Conore snarled and snapped at the wolf's muzzle, his fangs clanging together with a snap. O'Neil quickly pulled back, and stumbled a little backwards, avoiding Conore's attack, his foot though caught onto a rooted limb, and he fell backwards, grabbing one of the female wolves and dragging her down with him.

Conore laughed a little, "Careful, I'm poisonous."

O'Neil snarled, and shoved the female wolf off of him, and quickly leaped to his feet, and glared at the fox, "Why you mutt! Now you're asking for it!"

Conore grinned with pleasure, taunting him. The wolf then ran at the fox, and swung his leg back a little, about ready to make a kick to the fox's head.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" the sound of a boy's voice called out.

O'Neil stopped, and slammed his leg back down and spun around towards the voice. The rest of the pack also turned their heads towards the voice, curious.

There stood Tails, his blue eyes darker than the ocean at night, furious, and wanting a fight from them. He started walking towards the wolf, fists gripped tightly, and his ears flat. The pack in respect backed off as the small fox walked to their leader, one by one they took at least two steps back, and watched the fox stomp to his opponent.

The small fox stopped just feet away, and stared up at him, "Let him go."

O'Neil stared at the fox, then snickered a little, which then evolved into a deep chuckle, then laughing, then his laugh grew hysterical, and he laughed loudly at the fox. The pack around them then started looking at one another, then also started to laugh, all laughing hysterically at the small fox's demand. Tails kept his ground, but quickly became a little embarrassed, and slouched a little in shame, looking away. Conore stared at Tails, and shook his head, also slightly ashamed of his brother for standing up like that.

O'Neil continued to laugh with the pack and at Tails, unable to believe that Conore's little brother just tried to demand he'd release Conore. The wolf lowered his head a little, and crossed his arms in amusement. A sharp claw then poked underneath his chin, and pierced itself into his law, hooking inside tightly. The wolf yelped a little, and opened his eyes, and stared in front of him.

The pack quickly silenced, and backed off a few steps in a bit of fright. The claw connected to a white fox, which stood behind Tails, leaning over to keep his claw in the wolf's jaw. His red eyes narrowing down at the wolf with disgust, matching the markings on the very tips of his ears, and other small markings on him. The fox seemed old, but by his shape, well built for fighting, and to Tails' mind, the fox looked much stronger than the wolf.

Conore raised his head with his mouth wide open in shock, "Old Man Kinouie?"

The pack that surrounded them then started to look behind them, and seen that other werewolves and foxes started to close them in. A lot of O'Neil's pack was filled with older men, while this Old Man Kinouie's pack was filled with not just young men, but well built vixens as well. Tails spun his head around, amazed at how much larger the white fox's pack was compared to the wolf's.

The white fox gently laid a hand on the fox's shoulder, and gave him a push, telling him to move. Tails glanced up for a moment, then scooted out of the fox's way and stared at him. The white fox got closer and unsheathed more claws in his other hand, and gripped his fists, just in case. The wolf waved his left hand at the wolves that held Conore down, and the wolves released Conore, and backed off a ways, and camouflaged themselves within the pack.

The fox got up to the wolf's face, "Where are the two wolves?"

The wolf growled, and waved his right hand at the two female wolves, and quickly they scampered outside of the pack, and joined with the other pack that surrounded them.

The fox kept his grip with his claw, "This is _my_ territory, and if I hear, see, smell or even sense that you're here, or any of your members, it'll be the last."

The wolf wasn't scared, but gave the fox a glare, "Then I suggest you keep that adopted son of yours on a tighter leash, so I won't be a problem to you."

The fox tugged his claw a little inside the wolf's jaw, making more pain for him, "You don't remember the last fight, do you Thumper…"

O'Neil growled a little, "I do, just I don't remember you being in command of this forest."

"Ask any pack," The fox growled back, "They'll stare you down, but since you're so busy pleasing yourselves with the ladies, I guess you really want to be killed."

The fox jerked the claw from underneath the wolf's jaw, and stepped away, as O'Neil gripped his chin, and howled a little, the fox's move painful for him. Conore quickly stood to his feet, some branches crackling a little and ran over near Tails.

"Leave, now." Old Man Kinouie demanded.

The wolf snarled, and waved his arm at his pack, and took off running the way Conore came in. The pack looked at one another, then started to follow O'Neil's trail. Old Man Kinouie's pack made a small opening for O'Neil, and for the rest of the pack, as they quickly moved out.

Tails stared at the white fox with amazement, "So you're Old Man Kinouie!"

The fox turned to Tails, "And you must be the missing brother Conore's been searching for."

Conore stared at his leader for a moment, then kneeled down, and bowed his head to Old Man Kinouie in honor, lowering his ears and closing his blue eyes shut. Tails stared at his brother, then figured he'd better do the same, and bowed down before the white fox. The pack that surrounded them then came forward and also did the same, in respect of the fox, even the weak females that were once with O'Neil's pack, that are happy to be free again.

"Thank you so much." Conore thanked.

The fox smiled, "Long time no see Conore."

Conore then lifted his head and stood up, and also smiled, "Yes it has been."

Tails quickly stood up and glanced around to see the pack that Conore belonged to. As he turned, there were variations of wolf and fox, male and female, small and large, lean and massive. They were more late teens or early adults, but either way, they seemed well fit.

"And this must be the great Armageddon Pack." Tails stated, still observing the pack as the pack stood back up on their feet.

Conore sighed, "I need help, and it's going to have to require Sonic and his friend's help."

----------------------

They huddled in a corner, trying not to loose warmth, not loose any more blood, the wounds slowly healed, but the pain that lurked within them seemed endless. They both continued to embrace one another, their sight drawn away from the door of doom.

Espio felt desperate to escape, but with Misty in meltdown mode, it would be a bit harder, along with him being injected, it would be useless to try and carry her as he'd fly, the injection might get into her system, and who knew what would happen.

He gripped her tightly, and liked her cheek lightly, trying to comfort her from her meltdown. As the chameleon looked up, his gold eyes quickly shifted to his snake-like shape, and stared at the dark door through their cage filled with blood. He was certain that if he didn't fight their nightmare, they'd both go down without warning.

Espio then glanced down back at the black hedgehog, which had her eyes closed, and seemed to be sleeping in his arms, and seemed relieved with the fact that she was at rest. Espio smiled at her peacefulness.

The door then swung open, and banged against the brick on the wall, echoing though the room and halls, and waking Misty from her peaceful place. Mince walked in, grinning evilly, and slammed the door behind him, and locking it, making sure if anything went wrong, they wouldn't be able to escape.

Espio quickly started growling at the scrawny chameleon, protecting the hedgehog from any further harm, and unsheathed his claws in warning.

Mince found it appealing, and laughed at the teens, "You really think you can escape from here? You must be kidding me."

Espio then put himself in front of Misty, and arched his back at him, "You step inside this cage and you're dead!"

Mince started walking to the cage, "You can't kill me ya know. You've known that for the past six years. And you're saying that you know my weakness? You haven't grown smart, that's a fact."

The chameleon snarled in anger, "You're only raising your stakes."

Mince only laughed, and opened the cage door, and stepped inside, "Raising my stakes? I think you're the one who's raising your stakes by threatening me Espio."

Espio grew more furious, and snarled loudly, with a hissing noise mixed in with the sound, getting even more protective, and the want to fight was growing within him. Mince closed the cage, and continued to walk to the two.

"Keep snarling Espio," Mince sneered, "You're just only trying to show who's more pissed than who."

Mince took one last step, and stopped, feet away from the two, smirking with pleasure. Espio continued to snarl, his eyes keeping close watch on him, waiting for the scrawny chameleon to act first, while defending his friend.

Mince knew what Espio wanted, and took another step to him, with the result of the young chameleon lunging at him, claws and fangs out, the desire to kill his worst enemy.

Espio then shot out his Serpents; all six opened their jaws, their fangs shining with light, and aimed for Mince's body from head to toe. The adult chameleon only grinned, and stood for a moment for the Serpents to draw near, having no fear against them. He then quickly drew out white claws, and leaped upwards, two Serpents missing his feet, he flipped, and reached out as the other four shot underneath, and with both hands, caught three in each, one in his hands, the other pairs with his claws, digging into the skin.

The teen chameleon howled, forgetting how painful the Serpents were when even pinched, but with claws stabbing into their necks, that are attached to him, was ten times worse. He quickly fell to his knees, and cried out for help, pain paralyzing him again, and the Serpents quickly shut their mouths, but showed no pain, all of it was sent to the chameleon. Mince quickly landed back on his feet, and held the Serpents tightly in his grip, and continued to smirk.

"It sucks being a Serpent Licker Mutant, doesn't it?" Mince laughed.

The adult then quickly jerked the serpents toward him, and made the pain even worse, like tearing more skin off of Espio's stomach. The teen then fell forward with the yank, and slid on his side a little, unable to bear the pain. He twitched as Mince started walking closer, the Serpents slowly shrinking into Espio's skin, kind of like some sort of illusion.

Mince got close, and knelt down in front of Espio, "Painful, isn't it? Life as a mutant is no game, it basically controls your life once you become one. In mu case though, it benefits alot more than just power."

Espio turned his head slightly up at Mince, and glared at him, gold eyes once again. In amusement, Mince then released the Serpents, and quickly they shot back into Espio's skin, and disappeared, with another strike of pain hitting Espio. The teen grunted a little and twitched, but didn't care, and continued to stare at the scrawny chameleon.

"Lust," Mince continued, "That's what your other curse is, lust for blood, lust for pleasure, lust for fighting, lust for control, and lust for that mistake in the corner."

Misty only growled, her wounds nearly healed, and was about ready to fight Mince also.

"This lust won't ever leave you again." Mince leaned over a little more, "I know what it's like being a mutant for the rest of your life, and trust me, you'll wish you were dead later on in the future, or now, whatever seemed to occur first."

Mince then got down on his hands and knees, and rolled Espio over on his back, who was still stunned from Mince's grip on his Serpents.

"Just so you know." Mince mentioned, "That liquid you seen in your gashes, from here on out, if you ever attack anyone else with the Serpents of yours, they too, become what you are almost instantly."

Mince then leaned over, his second horn slightly touching Espio's, "And once that happens, all your friends will blame you, all because you went after a stupid fox."

Misty then growled loudly, and charged at the adult chameleon, quickly shifting to her fox form, fixing her eyes on him. She stepped right next to Espio, and head butted Mince in the side, and shoved him off of Espio, making him roll into the bars across from Misty. The fox quickly slid to a stop, and glared at the chameleon, as he lay on his side, struggling to get up.

"Mess with him, and you mess with me, rapist!" The white fox snapped.

Espio rolled to his side, his back against the two, and gripped his stomach, still in ache. Mince though seen his chance to attack, and hissed at Misty, his eyes quickly turning all black, like a demented demon. The fox's face then turned to stone, and quickly grew a bit scared of what she just seen, and took a step back, a chill crawling down her spine.

Mince stood up, his black eyes staring at the fox with no heart or soul, but with a murdering instinct growing more and more. The chameleon then started to walk to the fox.

Misty wasn't to sure of what was going on, and started walking backwards, her eyes still on him, watching his every move as he continued to walk towards her. Sadly, she knew at some point, she was going to feel the bars against her back, and it ma be then end for them both.

Espio felt the murdering instinct rise in Mince, and tried his best to deal with his pain and crawled away from the two that were getting closer to him. He rolled to his other side, and got a small glimpse of Misty walking backwards, and Mince snarling at her as he stepped forward every time she stepped back.

He then began to pray in his mind.

_Please, something happen, my mutant side go crazy, something to save us both from Mince's murdering instinct, please…_

He closed his eyes, and cried a little, unable to feel his own heart beat anymore.

The chameleon then felt a push against his chest, and his back popped twice.

Misty continued to step backwards, and started to see the adult shift slowly, his white claws growing larger, and his body looking sicker looking. She prayed this was a nightmare, and prayed that what he did to her was all a fake, and that she felt nothing, remembered nothing nor heard nothing.

She then felt cold bars bumps behind her on her tail, her ace grew pale, and she turned to head, shifting to her hedgehog form again, seeing it was a corner of the cage. She stared at the chameleon that drew closer, his black eyes now having deep red slits in them, like a cat, and his fangs growing. The hedgehog quickly tried to think of what to shift into to get away.

There was one form, but knowing how dangerous it was to use it, she didn't take a chance; so really, she had nothing to choose from.

The chameleon then stood just feet away from her, and stopped, she then quickly remembered that she could turn into the little chameleon dog she once used before to escape. She went to close her eyes to shift, only to see that Mince raised a hand, with claws unsheathed from his fingertips. She knew then she was out of time, and covered her head in fear.

There was a loud clang of metal signing beside them, ringing with presence of Espio, who leaped onto the side of the cage, then leaped at Mince's side, and drew out his claws. Like a bullet, he shot from the side of the cage with immense speed; he shoved the mutant off to the side, and allowing Misty an escape route. Both chameleons tumbled, and tangled with one another as they slid a little from the force, and did whatever they could to kill one another.

Misty didn't waste her time, and shifted quickly to a small black and red chameleon-like dog. She went to poke her head, feeling quickly a barrier that shot like a electrical bolt into her body, making her yelp with pain and astonishment, and made her small dog-like body fly into almost the middle of the cage. She slid for a few feet on her back; still yelping from the intense shockwave sent through her, quickly she learned that the sides were closed off with the barrier. She stared up through more bars and the ceiling that dripped with cold water that seemed to drip forever, with her eyes hurting like they've been stabbed, and immediately came with a thought of trying the top of the cage, see if it was barricaded. She smiled a little, though still in pain.

"MISTY!"

She blinked hastily, and leaped to her four feet, and didn't bother looking, and ran straight to the cage door as fast as she could, not willing to look to see her nightmare following her just inches behind. Her dog-like heels seemed to be breathed upon on, and figured the mutant, Mince, was within biting rage, and tried even herder to get to the side of the cage first before anything. Aloud snap then detonate just inches closer, scaring her even more, as she leaped, and clanged to the cage, and ran up it, since her form was part chameleon.

Another sound of metal going clang echoed below her, as Mince missed her by just a second, and smacked his skull almost open just by the way the bars rumbled. She ran up the bars, then ran up on the ceiling of the cage, and hung upside down as she continued to gallop towards the middle of the cage. There was a small grunt underneath her, and the sound of claws scraping the floor senselessly raced up near her, and signaled her to go through the bars. Misty quickly then squeezed herself through the bars, and then leaped from being snapped from underneath, and rolled off the cage, without being stunned by the barrier.

Espio came from behind Mince and grasped around the chameleon's waist, shoving him into the cage's wall, bending the cage a bit. He grew out his large bat-like wings, and quickly pulled his body away from Mince's, and clanged to another side of the cage, and watched Mince's movements, and prepared to make another attack at him. Twitching his tail with a bladed end, his eyes scanned the adult from head to toe, and just noticed that Mince started mutating a lot faster than he was before, and trembled with thoughts of death being near.

Mince took a few deep breaths and grunted at each end of the breaths, and stood up on his knees, his body's veins seemed to grow larger by the second, and made his body more and more larger by the second. His arms and legs shifted, growing longer and thicker for speed and slyness. His back arched, and indented his spine through his skin, that quickly shot out small quills on each backbone. His skin seemed to dissolve, and muscle became more and more visible, as if water was sinking through sand in a dry desert.

Espio couldn't believe what he was seeing, and hoped deeply this was a nightmare, again, he prayed for something good to happen.

**BONG! CLANG!**

Misty jumped in fright and landed on her feet, then spun around towards the door that broke down. There stood Espio's dear friend, Knuckles, holding keys to the cell.

"Hang on Espio!" Knuckles shouted as he ran to the cage.

Espio's eyes flashed gold for a second then returned to their snake form again, and stared at Knuckles with extreme worry, "Knux! NO!"

Misty shifted again, but this time to the blue blur, Sonic, and sped over to Knuckles in a second, grabbed Knuckles shoulders, and jerked him back, just as the mutating Mince shot at the cage door, and snapped at the two, with fangs that grew larger than before. Mince banged his head against the cage, and continued to snap at them, as they were only feet from the cage's edge. The two stumbled backwards, and lied there for a moment in shock. Misty sighed in relief, and shifted to normal.

Espio seen another chance, and once again, shot out like a bullet at the large mutant, and gripped around the creature's side, and carried it towards the opposite wall of the cage door. He then quickly ran himself and Mince into the cage side, and shoved Mince's mutating head in between the bars, bending the bars greatly.

He released the mutant, then flew straight to the cage door, only a second later, he shifted to normal, and ran to the cage door, and gripped the bars, shaking them vigorously, getting the two's attention. Knux quickly got to his feet, and hurried to the cage door, and tried the keys to the cage door, as they raced to beat Mince from getting out and attacking Espio from behind. Knuckles twisted and turned every key on the ring, and trembled with fear, it was a race against Espio's death. The young chameleon continued to shake the cage door a little, a rattling sound echoing even more.

Knuckles was on the sixth and final key, and inserted it in and twisted left, and he heard a quick click inside, and swung the door open, as he saw Mince's head jerk out from the cage's grasp of the bars behind Espio. Espio turned his head towards Mince for a second, then raced out of the cage, his feet sliding on some of Mince's blood near the door, and fell out of the cage, and landed on his back, smacking into Misty's knees with his head.

Knuckles and Misty stared at him for a moment in silence, wondering if Espio was okay. Misty then glanced up, and seen Mince's huge mutated body galloping towards the door.

"ACK! THE DOOR!"

Quickly she leaped over the chameleon, and shoved Knuckles away from the door, and threw the door closed, just as Mince opened his mouth, and caught the door's bars within his mouth, filled with jagged fangs the size of Knuckles' first dreadlocks.

"Thank god you had keys." Misty stated, glancing over at Knuckles, "If you didn't, we'd be screwed."

Knuckles nodded, "Now that I think of it, yeah."

Espio raised his head a little, "Where's that black hedgehog?"

"Gone!" Knuckles stated, "Conore's pack chased her, the Hellhounds, and Quazaireon off."

Behind them they then started to hear screeching sound of bars, they spun their heads around to see Mince ripping the bars out of place.

"Move!" Misty hollered, grabbing Espio's arms, and dragging him up onto his feet.

Knuckles took one look back at the mutant, seeing it's attempt to rip the bars out of it's way, and quickly ran towards the door, following Espio and Misty, who finally made it out.

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I REALLY didn't want to put this in until a few more chapters into Start of a Hero, but I felt nagged on, so here it is XP


	14. Dark Echidna of Prophesizes

**Chapter 14: **

**Dark Echidna of Prophesizes**

Knuckles shut the door behind him, and used the first key to lock it, and quickly ran down the stairs, closely behind the two victims, and also heard the door her just lock go bang, then clank. The mutant just broke down the door, is what he thought.

They entered another room, where Conore, Aaron, Tails, Mellony, Sonic, and Old Man Kinouie stood waiting for them. Knuckles quickly got to the door, and seen an unlocked Spellock on it, and knew he didn't need the keys. Aaron though quickly got to the door first, and started closing it, as the sounds of snarling, and grimace, and scowling echoed closer and closer. The gang behind Aaron, telling him to hurry, the pressure grew more and more heavy on the poor wolf, and he started to panic even more, as he tried harder to push the door closed. The door was heavy from dragging on the rocky ground, then shot nearly out of Aaron's grip, and swung shut, just as Mince ran down in his extreme mutant form, and leaped to the doorway. The door slammed shut, and Aaron leaped away in fright of what he just seen, his blue eyes in shock.

"What the fuck was that?" Aaron questioned with fright.

"It's a long story!" Misty hollered.

Conore smiled, and reached into his pocket, and drew out a small round disc, and placed it on a wall nearby.

"DUDE!" Sonic snapped, "That door's not gonna hold! Come on!"

"Just a second." Conore ignored.

"We don't have a second!"

The disc then started to beep, and Tails knew instantly what Conore was thinking, and quickly ran with the others out the door. Conore then also started off running, followed by Sonic.

The door behind them slammed shut, and the others were far ahead of them running towards the Armageddon pack that waited for their leader to show up again.

"MOVE! MOVE!" Conore warned, running faster than the blue hedgehog behind him.

The member of the pack didn't think twice, and bolted away from the building, and moved swiftly like wolves on the chase. Misty and Espio took cover behind a fallen log, and embraced one another, with Espio's back facing towards the black building. Sonic and Knuckles also took cover where Misty and Espio were, only just underneath their feet, along with Old Man Kinouie. Mellony, Aaron and Tails took cover behind a tree, and covered his head, just as Conore spotted him, and quickly ran towards him, knowing that where Tails was, was a bad place to be.

The black building then release from within a blue shockwave, shattering it's walls, and made the teen fox's body fly from the force, and made him fly into a small pond just a few yards away from Aaron, Mellony, and Tails' position. The building slowly released a cloud of debris and dust from underneath, and shrunk smaller and smaller into the cloud, soon the cloud of dust swallowed the building, and the sound of bricks banging all over like hail scared the others a little exposing them of the brick debris.

Cling and clang the bricks echoed on the three's trunks all around the forest, the explosion settling down, and the others waiting for the final brick to make it's clink against the trees one last time.

Mellony seen the nearby ponds shake, not from the quake of the explosion, but trapping her love inside the water depths, and quickly ran over to the pond. Tails also did the same, not looking around for flying bricks, and Aaron quickly leaped to his feet and chased after the two. The others under the log however, couldn't hear their cries for the fox, and kept dead silent underneath the fallen log, clueless.

"You think it's safe?" Sonic asked Misty and Espio.

Misty was shaking, and didn't even bother to reply, her black and red body stunned from fright, and whimpered in Espio's arms in fret. The chameleon shrugged as he held the black hedgehog in his arms.

Sonic turned to Knuckles and the older fox, "What do you two think?"

"I think it is." Knuckles nodded, starting to wedge out from underneath.

The fox behind him though reached up and smacked Knuckles on top of the head, forcing the echidna back into placement.

"Hey!" Knuckles growled, "What was that for?"

Old Man Kinouie stared at the echidna with a blitz look and then out from under the log, "Stay here."

The adult fox then started to slowly creep out, her ears up in alert, and his back arched with caution. All that made sound was the sound of nearby crows croaking wildly from the explosion.

The log then exploded from above their head with a loud snap and crackling sound, like something just pounded itself on top of the log, and made them all jump almost up a foot from the ground. The older fox then quickly pulled himself back underneath the log, and kept his head low, watching their only window. Misty then started to cry even more, panicking even more, seemingly to know what was above them. Espio though found it as a way to get them killed, and smacked his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet, and gripped her tightly.

Sonic glanced over, "What's wrong with her?"

Espio's eyes shrunk, "No…"

----------------------

Mellony leaned over the edge of the pond, and looked for Conore in the water, her blue eyes skimming like littler skitter bugs on the water. The other two stood by her, and also scanned the pond, seeing of he dragged himself out, which looked like it wasn't a possibility.

From underneath the watery sheet of glass, Conore shot from underneath, and gasped for air, his fur and clothes soaked from the pond trapping him underneath. The others quickly reached over and grabbed his arms as they were up out of the water, with their arms getting soaked didn't bother them one bit, and quickly they dragged him out. The fox choked on the water, rolled to the side and coughing up water, he curled up a little and continued to cough, chest already starting to hurt.

"Conore! Are you okay?" Tails asked his older bro.

Conore gave a slight nod, and coughed again, flinching every time he coughed.

"Are you sure?" Mellony asked.

Aaron then quickly shushed them, and slapped his hand over Conore's mouth to make him stop making noise. They turned and stared at the wolf.

Mellony glared at him, "What's going-"

Aaron then uncovered Conore's mouth, and raised his finger at the wolf to silence her, while still looking in another direction, his face a bit pale. Mellony stared at the wolf, then turned where he looked, and her face also started to go pale. Tails helped Conore sit up, and as they looked where Aaron was looking, they felt like fainting that moment.

There stood Mince on a fallen log, right above the other's heads, in his full mutant form, alive!

"I don't believe it." Conore grunted, "That was one of NASINA's cell bombs I've used, and it didn't kill Mince?"

"Yeah," Aaron spoke softly, "But they're the one that'll die soon if we don't do something, and fast."

"But what do we do?" Tails stared.

Aaron's ears flicked up, and he flicked his head all around, looking for a rock. Seeing one right in front of Conore's foot, he quickly swiped it, and stood up. The fox bros and the wolf gritted their teeth, for they started getting ready to run, and leaped to their feet, but were still knelt down.

Aaron took a deep breath, "I hate mutants…"

He whipped his arm back, and then hurled the rock towards a trunk not far from where they stood. The rock flew quite a ways, and hit the tree Aaron aimed for with a loud clank.

The large mutant spun his head, and spotted the four instantly.

"Can we run now?" Tails whimpered a little.

The large mutant bared intensively large fangs at them, and charged at them, his tail whipping the log behind him as he landed on the ground, making the ones underneath jump again. They all stared at Conore instead of Aaron.

"RUN!" Conore yelped.

----------------------

They sat for a while, wondering if Mince was gone. Espio stared at Misty, who lied beside him, but looking like she was in pain a little, and also looked like she could fall to sleep at any second. The chameleon camouflaged, and slowly snuck out, his feet lightly touching the ground, avoiding the sticks that would go snap. He crawled out flat, and decided to turn his head slightly upwards, and seen nothing but large claw marks on the log, and a large indent in the log from the tail that smacked it as he took off.

He still wasn't sure, and stood on his feet and rose slowly, staring at the log, as he slowly came up, there was nothing. He then looked all around, up in the trees, behind them, under logs, everywhere, and still nothing. Espio then closed his eyes, and revealed himself into the world, and waited.

Nothing.

Espio turned and waved the other four out, "Clear."

Sonic quickly jumped from underneath the log, and leaped to his feet, brushing himself off of ants and small spiders that danced on his body. Knuckles then stepped from underneath and also did the same, and brushed himself off. And then Old Man Kinouie, who just simply wiped his face, and brushed his arms and leg, but did nothing else.

Misty didn't dare move, and kept her place underneath the log, curled up tightly.

Espio sighed, "Misty, you can come out now."

She didn't move, and still lay in her spot curled up.

"Misty?" Knuckles turned.

Still no reply, not even a small flinch or twitch.

Espio kneeled to the ground and grabbed Misty's arms, and dragged her out, strangely with no resistance whatsoever. He dragged her by a small stump nearby, and laid her against it, and examined her. He snapped his fingers, pinched her, bit her cheek, nudged her head, and poked her stomach. Still, nothing from her still body.

"Die of a heart attack?" Sonic stared, "Just in that second?"

The chameleon laid his head on her chest, and listened for a heartbeat, luckily there was one. But that appeared strange to him, she won't wake up, but yet her heart's still beating.

"Heart's still beating." Espio turned.

"Fainted maybe?" Sonic shrugged.

The older fox turned to the hedgehog, "But from what?"

They stood clueless.

Espio sighed, "I have a bad feeling about this…"

Kinouie stared at the chameleon, "Since when did you meet this hedgehog?"

Espio faced the fox, "Before all this, about four years ago."

The fox shook his head, "And yet you still have feelings for her?"

Sonic turned to the fox, "What's your problem?"

The fox turned and faced where Mince ran, "You do realize how long four years is, right?"

Knuckles also stared, "So?"

The fox then turned to Espio again, and lowered his ears, "The most darkest of secrets could've been made, not only hers, but yours as well, sometimes you don't know the secrets with you."

Espio sat on the stump above Misty, "What are you getting at exactly?"

"Even though I may not be what you and Misty are, or a Traveling Earthesen, but I do strongly sense a big problem in your group very soon, and it won't be because of _your _problem, Espio."

Espio gave a slight glare, "It wouldn't be Misty's either…"

Sonic then budged in, "So it'd be mine?"

Espio's eyes then turned snake-like in irritation, and deepened his voice, "No, it wouldn't…"

Sonic didn't seem scared, and his eyes became gold challenging the mutant chameleon, "So what's that tone you're using against me about?"

Espio hissed a little, and was very temped to use one of his Serpents to attack him, and arched his back in warning.

"Enough already!" Misty snarled a little.

They all stared at her, confused.

"Mist?" Knuckles blinked, "What the-"

"I know…" Misty growled a little, sitting up, "I just heard Espio, and that when I woke up."

"But from what?" Sonic toned down.

Misty shrugged, "Dunno," and slouched, and Espio quickly got down by her side and lightly held her hand, "but I feel like I just ate a cow…"

In the distance, they then heard sticks breaking and the sound of hard breathing. They all flicked their heads towards where Mince ran and stared, wanting to run, but Kinouie didn't seemed too worried, and kept his place, but had his head turned like the others.

In then stumbled Conore, then Aaron landed on top of him, both not seeming to care. Then Tails rolled in from the bushes, and Mellony leaped onto a log and laid on it exhausted. They stared at them with worry on their expressions, and waited for them to speak.

"We lost him." Tails spoke.

"By an inch!" Aaron growled a little, "Why did I have to be the bait? Means I'm foreign doesn't mean I should die!"

Espio, Sonic, and Knuckles then stared at the wolf, "You're an immigrant?"

Conore shoved the wolf off, and sat up, "It's a long story…"

"Are you okay Espio?" Mellony asked the chameleon.

Espio then realized his eyes were probably snake like and in thier view, and lied on the ground on his stomach, curled up and eyes closed, "No…"

"Me neither." Misty stirred a little.

Sonic turned down to Espio, a small scowl on his face, "And you better stay down…"

Espio heard Sonic's remark, and flicked his head right back at Sonic's, and screeched a little. Sonic yelped a little and jumped back from the sudden sound and stood next to Misty. The chameleon arched his back again and snarled viciously at the blue hedgehog, looking like he was ready to leap at him.

"SHUT UP!" Tails hollered.

Everyone spun their heads at Tails, and the snarling stopped.

Tails stared at Sonic, "What did you do!"

"Nothing!" Sonic yelled, "He just got defensive then now here we are arguing!"

Misty spun her head towards Espio and gave a slight glare at him. The chameleon seen her, and calmed a little, and sat by her, his eyes still snake like, and claws were still unsheathed. Misty sighed, and knew something was wrong, and the vibe wasn't coming from Sonic.

Knuckles then budged in, "Can we go now! Mince could be on his way back here."

Sonic turned to Knuckles, his face turning a bit pale, "Oh yeah…"

"Let's head back then quickly." Conore stated, "Where's Old Man Kinouie?"

The three spun their heads behind them, and seen nothing, and then they turned and shrugged. Tails lowered his ears, and then started off without them, irritated enough.

"Tails wait up!" Mellony called to him, running after him.

They also followed Tails, Sonic and Knuckles following Conore and Aaron, while Misty and Espio lagged behind. The black hedgehog struggled to get up, and grabbed the stump with her left hand to try and pull herself up, pain striking her stomach like a bullet. The chameleon settled down from Sonic's remark as he stared at the blue hedgehog, and helped Misty to her feet, and carrying her on his shoulders, lagging behind.

The black hedgehog shifted to the small chameleon and dog mix again, for Espio's sake, and whimpered a little in pain. Espio grabbed Misty up from the ground, and held her in his arms as they moved along, feeling his stomach burn a little, probably from his own poison his Serpents now have.

----------------------

As night drew near again, Amy paced back and fourth, worried about her dream lover's safety and hoped he'd return very soon unharmed. Rouge sat by Shadow, and watched as the pink one kept pacing aimlessly. Quickly the white bat grew annoyed, and got up, starting to walk towards the pink hedgehog, and stood in front of her to block her pacing.

"I wouldn't worry too much if I were you." Rouge warned her.

Amy glanced up, "It's not just that, it's also Espio."

Rouge raised an eyebrow, "Change of heart all of a sudden?"

Amy nodded slightly, "I actually like the chameleon, Sonic's now kinda a dumbass…"

Shadow then glanced up, "Betcha fifty bucks he's already dedicated himself to Misty."

Rouged nodded in agreement to Shadow's comment, "I actually agree, they've been kinda getting close."

Amy sighed, "I wish you'd never have said that…"

Rouged shrugged, "Heck, I kinda like Aaron."

Shadow's mouth dropped, "WHAT ABOUT ME!"

Rouge stared at the black hedgehog, "You like Misty."

Shadow stood up, "Besides, Aaron likes Conore."

Rouge stomped towards the hedgehog, and got into his face, "AGAIN! It was a flippin' insult! INSULT!"

Marie then walked into the room, "What's all the yelling?"

Rouge sighed in agony, "Can you pop a blackhead for me?"

Marie blinked and slightly nodded, "I would, but he'd know before I'd get within ten feet."

Shadow stood blankly, "Blackhead? Where now?"

"Are they really though?" Amy asked the green echidna.

Marie laughed, "No, no, no. They're not, but it's kinda a joke between our team, I though never knew O'Neil could make such a good insult with them though."

They then stared at her, and Amy spun on her heels towards her, "You were here when that O'Neil guy was here?"

Marie smiled, "I'm sneaky."

Rouge then sat back down in her seat, "Is Aaron single?"

Marie nodded, "Has been for quite some time."

"What about Misty?" Amy asked.

Marie's smile faded, "Yeah, and she's actually been kinda miserable because of that."

Amy grinned a little.

----------------------

They walked for a while now, night growing darker and darker, and it lightly began to rain. Worried for Misty's life, Espio held her tightly; still able to feel the small heartbeat she still had against his chest. The others kept their eyes open and out deep in the forest, looking for any movements or anything strange that caught their eyes.

Sonic kept his eyes forward, and was the first to catch a strange looking cottage in their way. Tails was the second to notice, even though he was in front.

"Is that a cottage of some sort?" Tails glanced up at his bro.

The fox nodded, "Yeah, it is."

"Can we get away from the rain though?" Sonic growled a little, "I really am not in the mood to be wet."

"Probably should." Knuckles nodded, then turning to Espio, "Is Misty okay?"

Espio stared down at Misty, still in her chameleon-dog mix form, she lightly shook her head, and dug in into Espio's elbow. Espio then looked back at Knuckles and shook his head.

"Come on!" Mellony hurried, "Just in case Mince is near."

They quickly followed after the female wolf. Tails though stood and waited for Espio to catch up with Misty. Mellony grabbed the doorknob and ran inside without knocking, then in followed Sonic, Knuckles, Conore, and Aaron. Tails, Misty and Espio were the last to jump inside.

Their mouths dropped as they closed the door behind them.

The cottage looked small from the outside, but inside there was golden statues lined up on the wall, and had a kind of a psychic's feeling. With moon patterned cloth hanging along the corners, tied up by beads of black and silver made it seem that way. In the middle on the room there was a large table filled with scented candles, small artifacts, and a bunch of books that had writing of a foreign language.

"From the predator you run and hide I see." A female voice spoke ahead of them.

Sonic turned his head forward, and started walking, leading the group towards the female's voice. As they walked, they browsed about the artifacts and statues that stared at their soul-filled bodies. Tails stared at the statues, and caught one that seemed to look familiar. An echidna with a bandana with a vest and bagged jeans, head lowered and eyes closed, looking like he was praying.

The small fox stared at it for a moment, then walked onward. At the end of the room, there was a large table with a crystal ball in the middle, surrounded by black and silver cloth and jewels, with more candles and artifacts, and a black echidna with purple markings sitting, watching them.

Knuckles' head flicked upwards, "Violet?"

The group spun and stared at Knuckles, then the other echidna.

She smiled, "You remembered."

Conore blinked a few times, "Where's the other guys?"

"Tails seems to know." Violet pointed out with her pinky, as her head rested on the top of her hands.

They then turned and stared at Tails, who stared at the statues.

"They were summoned." Tails stated, "There was a spell to make them come to life."

Espio then laid Misty on the ground by one, then she shifted to her hedgehog form and laid on the ground almost seemingly dead. Espio stared up at the echidna, "If that's the case, what's wrong with my mate?"

Conore lowered his ears at the chameleon hearing his question. Espio though didn't seem to care.

Violet closed her eyes and shook her head, "I'm not a healer. I can only foresee your futures and some other small things, but removing another life from her body's not what I do."

Aaron turned to the echidna, "Another life?"

She stared at the chameleon, "Come over here."

Espio stared for a moment, then glanced at Misty, then got up onto his feet, and walked towards her with caution. He stood on a step that raised him a little in front of the table, and stared at the echidna even longer.

She smiled, and glanced down at her crystal ball, "Show me the curse."

The crystal ball grew black to the group's eyes, but to her she seen the curse that not only Espio had, but to the others around.

Violet then glanced up at Espio, "The poison you accumulate will save Misty…"

Espio's face went blank, "You mean the injected poison?"

She ignored him, waving him away. The chameleon grunted a little, and went back next to Misty.She waved at Tails, signaling his turn to stand at the step. The fox scurried to the step and stood with worry and wonder in his eyes.

"The next light of moon shall shine over you, forcing the blood of the wolf to take you over." She foreseen.

Tails took a gulp, and shivered a little, lowering his head as he walked back next to his brother, and said to himself quietly, "I'll become a werefox, like Conore and Mellony have talked about."

She then moved her head slowly to Sonic, waving him forward. Sonic also scurried to the step and stood tall and strong for her.

"You will soon visit the land of darkness and nightmares, and see your most loved ones turn against you." She spoke.

Sonic jaw dropped a little, "Land of darkness and nightmares? Is that SinVice Turret?"

Violet ignored Sonic and waved Aaron forward. Aaron just walked normally, his heels kicking the ground a little in irritation.

"Precious will be her name, and you'll save her life alone."

Aaron smiled, "'Bout time, but when?"

Hse send him back to his position and summoned Knuckles. Knuckles though didn't bother moving and crossed his arms.

She stared, "You will have to make the toughest decision between friend and family."

Knuckles stood blankly, "I still have family?"

It was then Mellony's turn, and Violet frowned a little, not even bothering to wave her forward, "Your biggest mistake will include a dear brother of yours."

Mellony looked around and then stared at the echidna, "I have a brother?"

Conore's turn then came, and Violet's mouth dropped as she glanced into the crystal ball, "Oh my."

Conore's expression shifted from calm to slight worry, along with Tails.

She glanced up at him, "_He_ will return."

Conore growled a little, lowering his ears, "Better not be who I think it is…"

Tails stared up, and lowered his ears, "Who?"

Conore glanced at Tails, "I'll tell you later."

She then finally came to Misty, "And you…"

She took one last glance at the crystal ball for a long time, making the others wonder even more not just by their prophecies, but what was Misty's.

She glanced up, "I've got three for you."

She gripped Espio's hand unintended, not realizing she did as she stared at Violet.

She sighed, "First, the other life you contain will shift to mist, and hide in another, and make him suffer your curse without knowing it."

Misty slouched a little, scared, but didn't understand, what about Espio's prophesy?

"Second, the form that cannot be tamed will soon break out and control you once you find the Dark Mirror of Revelation, and I must warn you, keep your closest friends away from you."

They stared at her with curiosity, wondering about this so-called "form that cannot be tamed."

"Lastly," Violet spoke, "I see you reunited again, one that's closer than you think, another that has grown dark and temporally is against you, and another that has been waiting for you."

"My brother." Misty said silently.

Her ball then glowed a sliver, and then shifted to black again, she stared down at it for a moment, then glanced up, eying Sonic, "I've got two more, one for you, Sonic."

Sonic flicked his ears up a little, "Listening…"

"You will soon be the last hedgehog standing." She strictly stated.

Sonic lowered his head a little, and stood confused, unsure of what she meant.

She then lastly turned to Conore again, "You have a second one."

Conore nodded slightly, "Yes?"

She stood up, and faced him, her eyes glowing a little purple, "A dark power lurks within a shrine in Rona Desert. This power will come to you once you set foot on the sand, taking your body, and using it to host its power, and make you a terrifying creature of the Dark."

His mouth dropped, "What?"

She sat back down, and waved her finger, a brown book then hovered near the fox, and floated by his side. Conore turned and stared at the book.

**Artifacts of the Kiroshioneze Culture Volume 6: Rona Desert**

"Take it." She told him, "Read it thoroughly."

She then waved her finger again, and another book appeared by Sonic, a black book with silver stitching and pages.

**Dakaria: Land of Nightmares**

Sonic grabbed the black book, and rolled his eyes, "Guess it goes the same with me."

"And you Espio, you _must_ read this."

A red book appeared near Espio that's had some gold markings on the cover.

**Creatures and Curses of the Dark**

"Read them thoroughly." She stated again, "They will help you in the future."

They all nodded at her, except Tails, whose eyes stared at the table of books, seeing many were based on the Kiroshioneze culture. Some were about the place's ancient history, like what Conore got, and then there was a book that caught his eye's attention.

The cover was a dark gray, and the pages looked a little bit worn and old, but the letters were inked silver and a metallic red. Below the letters were painted red eyes in the very middle, and silver fangs underneath.

**Song of the Moon**

The familiar painting that was printed on the cover made Tails blink a few times, to check and see if he was seeing things. He picked up the book and brushed some dust off, making the metallic red and silver ink shine brighter. The title was definitely written in a way that was strange, but beautiful at the same time, and that was what caught his attention. He thought just by the title, it would explain his future.

Sonic seen Tails' interest in the book and turned his head towards him, "You okay?"

Violet closed her eyes and smiled, "Take Song of the Moon, it'll explain a lot."

"Speaking of which." Espio turned to her, "What do you exactly mean by my poison will cure her?"

"I didn't say it would _cure _her," She stated, "I said it would save her."

"Isn't it kinda the same thing?" Sonic shrugged.

Knuckles turned to Sonic, "It may be for a different time, not now, but later on in the future."

"True." Mellony agreed, "And, about Conore's prophesy, um, do you know how big of a threat he'll be? And when?"

She shook her head, "I cannot say, I'm sorry."

Sonic then turned and started walking to the door, "I'm outta here, besides, we need to get back to that village where Rouge, Shadow, and Amy are at."

"Yeah, we should." Aaron agreed, "Let's head."

Espio grabbed Misty around the waist as she grabbed him with her arms, and carefully they followed as she lay on the chameleon's shoulder. Conore then turned and walked, followed by Mellony. They all exited outside, Tails though stared at the book and didn't move an inch. Curious, Violet waved in a small bracelet to her hand, and set her head back on the top of her hands as she held the bracelet underneath.

"Come here Miles." She called to him.

Tails turned around in an instant and glared at the echidna, "How do you know my name?"

She waved her finger to him to come over, and smiled a little, "Just come here."

The fox kept the dark gray book in his hands and walked over to her and stared at her with his ears still lowered.

She cocked her head slightly, "Tell me, why are you so shaken?"

Tails gulped a little, "One, My future, two, Conore's future, and three, Espio being a mutant for the rest of his life."

She laughed a little, "Do you even realize what you are?"

Tails shook his head.

"Conore's what is called a Shadow-Back WereFox," She explained, "This specific type is among not only the rarest, but the second most powerful wares in the history of Kiroshioneze. And since you're his brother, you should end up one as well."

Tails was quickly cheered with amazement, "Wow, then what's the most?"

She pointed at the book he held, "That will tell you."

Tails glanced down at the book, then back up at her, raising his ears up.

"Conore's future will be solved by you and you alone." She warned, "I must warn you briefly, when the time comes, you are _not_, and I repeat, you are _not_ to take him lightly."

Tails then lowered his ears again, "Great..."

She stared at him more, "And you're wondering who "_he_" is?"

Tails nodded slightly.

She grinned, "You've already been introduced to him thanks to Aaron."

Tails grew irritated, "Why do you have to be so vague?"

She closed her eyes, "That is what psychics do, revealing the whole thing wouldn't change anything really, except making the person more nervous. Really the only way for the event to change, is if the one who prophesize the event chooses to interfear. For example."

She waved her hand over her ball, and an image of Conore at what looked like a desert appeared.

"Conore's warning is when he sets foot on Rona Desert, a curse will fly to him. If I were to suddenly pop up and drag him from the desert's border, I would basically save not just his life, but Vector's as well."

Tails stared up at her, "Vector?"

She only waved her hands around the ball again, the ball returning to clear again, "But if I were not to save him, the prophecy would go as it is, and Conore shall turn into a terrifying creature. One no one had lived to te the tale about."

He slouched a little.

"I will let you in on a little secret, if you promise to keep it to yourself _only_. Don't tell anyone, not even Sonic." she dealed.

Tails put the gray book in his left hand and stuck out his right, "Deal."

She stuck out her purple hand, and the two shook on the deal.

"Okay then." She nodded, "You know Conore's your brother, right?"

He nodded.

"I will only say this much," She stated, "But Conore is of nothing normal. You bloodline is not only the most famous, but the most cursed."

Tails started to shake a little, his spine crawling with a chill, a deep chill that signified evil.

"Conore may be your brother, but he is of the biggest threat of your group. Reason I say is because what you seen before you were attacked by the Hellhounds _was_ him. Making that sinister laugh as you asked what it was like to become a werefox."

Tails shivered, wishing he didn't make this deal.

"He hides a dark secret, worse than Espio's, and if you try and search, that secret will be your curse. I strongly advise you keep this in mind, but don't go looking."

He nodded, still chilled by her warning, turned towards the door, and nodded alightly, "Thanks for the heads up."

"And lastly," She continued, "Espio's not alone."

Tails rolled his eyes, "Well we all knew that, Sonic's kinda one himself now."

Violet frowned quickly, "It isn't him though."

Tails spun around and stared at her with shock, "What?"

"You just keep your eyes open." She advised, "I will say this, this person's in your group, and Sonic was the first to be given the clue of this other person, and he doesn't realize it."

Tails stared, "Really?"

"I would strongly advise though you don't nag him," She cautioned, "And I also recommend when you see Mince, take a quick but close look at him."

The fox nodded.

"Go, and take this with you." She then handed him a thin but strange bracelet that clinched to his right wrist in an instant. The bracelet then lit up in a neon green, and then displayed what looked like an image of a moon that was near full. It was like a miniature screen, and also displayed different dates and times.

Tails stared at her, "What is this?"

"This is a shift restraint." She told him, "It warns you of a crescent moon, a full moon, and a blue moon nearing, it also stables your mind when you shift, so you don't run wild like most do."

Instantly the fox smiled, "Sweet! Where did you get this?"

The black echidna let a small grin crease her face, "My cousin makes those, she also made one for your brother, and you also know her."

Tails smiled, 'Well, thanks a lot."

The fox spun around and clutched his book, and ran off in a hurry, leaving the echidna in her seat.

Her grin faded to a slight smile and she lowered her head, "Guardians of the Light, guide them to dear safety, and have their prophecies be fulfilled to a conclusion of peace, and let the darkest secrets come with ease."

* * *

Btw, NASINA is kinda like NASA, only it means "National Airport and Space Infilteration Navigators Association" This will be explained clearly either in #3 or #4, depending on my mood.

Thank you for your patience for this chapter, and could you please review? It'd make me feel alot better. Thank you very much


	15. Rising Within

**Note:** Fashback is put in, so chapter's gonna be kinda longer than usual. Don't say i didn't warn ya. XP

**Chapter 15: **

**Rising Within**

They waited for Tails' arrival and wondered what he was still doing in there, if he was asking questions or being told something secret, either way, Espio started to grow very impatient, more than Sonic usually is. His heartbeat increased speed strangely, and his body started to grow a bit hotter, his mind drifting off into a deep space of nothingness, but yet his body started to feel a sensation that said I want it. He sat on the ground at the foot of a tree, and leaned against it, staring up at the sky and taking deep breaths, trying to figure out what was going on.

Misty noticed him and turned to him, her red eyes staring at the chameleon strangely, "Espio are you okay?"

He flicked his eyes at her and glared a little, then grinned slightly evil, unnoticed by the hedgehog. He got up back on his feet, and turned around towards the woods, and waved his hand at her.

His tone deeper than usual, "Follow me."

Misty lowered her ears a little, uneasy about his tone, but yet followed him. The chameleon turned and walked through some bushes and past a large forest tree, then from where they used to stand weren't seen by the group. The hedgehog watched Espio's movements, his tone was different, and him glaring at her for no reason.

Was it his mutant form?

Espio stopped in a clearing surrounded by some bushes and trees, and a dead log to the right. He spun around quickly, checking to see if they were far enough away from the group, then faced Misty, his grin growing a bit bigger, finally catching Misty's attention. She flattened her ears and stepped back a little, taking caution as he grinned.

Espio stepped forward to her and grabbed her hands lightly, "I wanted to confess."

Misty stared with confusion, "Excuse me?"

Espio's eyes stared at her with little innocence, "Yes, I wanted to confess my love to you."

Misty stopped breathing, and wondered if her heart skipped a beat, his words seemed to have stabbed her right in the heart, making her even more confused and uneasy. Her body frozen like stone, she couldn't and didn't want to breathe, her hands lifeless as the chameleon held them. She blinked a few times and jerked her head a little, seeing if she was either seeing things or blind. She stared back up, and seen his expression change a little, kinda devious.

Espio slightly pushed her against a tree behind her, and leaned close to her, "I've waited four years for us to reunite so I could finally confess, and secure ourselves together."

She knew it, it was his mutant side taking over, and bulged her arm muscles a little in readiness, "Espio, now's not a good time, and you know it. And besides, we haven't caught up on what happened during the four years."

The chameleon grinned evilly at her, his fangs growing a little, "Oh my mate, you're wrong, it's the perfect time, and we know each other very well."

Misty gritted her teeth a little, hearing _mate_ repeat in her mind again was all she needed to start her off. She let the word by the first time, this time though; it was used at the wrong time, and drew the line. She waited for him to cross it, so she could maybe beat some sense into him. It didn't sound like him, but strangely neither his mutant form, and sensed a presence of darkness cloud around them.

Espio's hands moved up and grasped her arms firmly pressing against the tree, and drew closer, his horn poking through her feathered bangs above her face, "My child is within you, and I'll make it grow."

The line was crossed. Misty growled violently and snapped at his face, nipping a chunk of his cheek slightly, and making him back off a little, but the grip stayed firm. Espio grunted a little at her attack, but ignored the pain and snarled a little at her.

The hedgehog then howled like a wolf for help, and tried to get the howl to the others.

-------------------

Tails just walked out when they heard the howl, they all flicked their heads towards the west, and listened to where the howling was coming from. Conore knew instantly, and shifted to his werefox form, his black markings shining against the slight moonlight that partly lit up the half darkened sky filled with some rain clouds.

Sonic turned and stared, "The hell man?"

Conore swiftly glanced at Sonic, "Misty's cry for my help, and it's usually bad."

Tails stared at his brother, and watched at he sprinted westward through the bushes like Sonic, so fast he was gone in a blink of an eye. They all were curious, and trailed behind him as close as they could.

Conore sped through the woods with immense speed, knowing Misty's exact placement, not only by her scent, but also by Espio's heat wave and faint smell of Mince's presence that seemed to be glued on Espio's skin. He leaped over a large log surrounded by big brush, and landed on his feet gracefully, then sprinted against the slight wind that blew, blowing their scent towards him, and making the trail easier to follow a little.

He made a hook around a clearing and slid to a stop to find Misty pinned against the large tree by Espio, whose eyes glowed of darkness, and lust. The fox then charged, leaping over a smaller log and pushing his body against the resistance of the air, seeing exactly why Misty howled.

Espio caught the fox in the corner of his eye just as Conore leaped at him, turned and bared his fangs at him in warning and to stay away from them. Conore though had already leaped, and tackled the chameleon off of his cousin, and the two began to fight with one another brutally. Misty quickly ran the way Conore came for a few feet and sat by the small log, and watched as the two males went at it.

Espio tried shifting, but the scars that Conore's been making him kept him in his normal form, and forced Espio to only unsheathe his claws and fangs, going any further would bring more pain to his body. They snarled and brawled, one trying to put sense into the other, while the other trying to show he has the right to touch the hedgehog. They bit one another on the shoulders, and drilled their claws into one another's sides and back, making the pain soar through them and making them more and more aggressive and cruel.

Espio's eyes shifted from the normal gold to the snake like, and hissed warning the werefox to get off. Conore ignored the warning, and bit Espio's chest, where the swollen spot once was about a week ago. The chameleon screeched out in pain, releasing the fox from his claws and grip, stunned by the pain that struck him ferociously.

The fox then felt something bite his scar on his right upper arm, and ripped a chunk of him out around it. Conore then howled and flipped off of Espio, grabbing his arm while blood drained from the wound, covering his hand like water on rock. He laid on his side, trying to take deep breaths from the attack, and slowly released his wounds from his grasp, to see a permanent scar that had a bite mark that was surrounding his scar, one teeth mark in it.

He sat up on his knees and turned to the chameleon, seeing one of his Serpents shrinking back into his skin, while the chameleon sat on his hands and knees, breathing haistly, and stared at him with blood lust in his eyes. The fox only stared, gripping his wound again, and let a small growl echo in his throat. Espio then arched his back a little, and crept his feet underneath, like he was ready to leap at him for another attack

Out from Conore's right, a large creature burst into the clearing and attacked Espio from the bushes like a hawk, making him roll into a pile of dead sticks about ten yards from his position. As the chameleon landed on his back, pinned down with claws stabbed into his shoulders, Conore raised his head up and seen the creature that attacked Espio,0 was Sonic, in his mutant form. He had the chameleon pinned on his back, and both snarled at one another as their gold and snake-like eyes met in between.

Misty quickly remembered Espio's secret weapon, "Sonic! The Serpents!"

Sonic glanced at Misty, then at Espio's stomach, seeing Conore's bite mark on Espio, and without thinking he leaped off to the side just as three Serpents jumped from Espio's skin, shooting three feet into air as they missed the blue hedgehog's body by a second. Sonic quickly rolled to his stomach, and got back up on his hands and feet, and snarled at the chameleon, his whip like tail whipping back and fourth as Espio got on his hands and feet and snarled back.

Conore then bolted from his place, and nailed Espio onto the ground on his stomach, pinning the chameleon firmly on the sticks, as Sonic hurried and also helped the fox with the pinning. Espio then started snarling, hissing, and screeching violently, squirming in their grips trying to shake them off of him from holding him down.

Misty then ran over and leaped onto Espio's back, and placed her hands around his neck, and started to choke him, knowing it was the only way to control him. As she put more and more pressure on the chameleon's neck, his screeching and cries started to tone down, and Espio started to feel a bit dizzy, unable to see clearly and tell what was happening.

He then remembered the cottage, the echidna, his prophecy, but nothing after that, nothing, and he blacked out with one last breath leaving him that he could remember.

Misty released the chameleon's neck and got off, as Sonic shifted to normal, though his gold eyes stayed in view, and watched as Misty got off, then turned to Conore. The werefox nodded at him slightly, signaling to release him. They stepped back a few steps and stared, seeing the chameleon lying there passed out because of Misty's grip.

Misty drew by Sonic, and smiled a little at him and her cousin, all that was done was a success thankfully.

"Where are the others?" Conore asked Sonic, shifting to normal, leaving him only in his grey pants.

Sonic's gold eyes met his blue eyes and smiled a little, "I told them to stay back at the cottage while I went after you."

Conore nodded and turned to Misty, "What happened?"

Misty turned to the still chameleon, "One minute, he was fine, the next, he was talking about confessing his love and…"

She stopped, slouching a little, disgusted by her memory and the words that strolled through her mouth, "And how he'll make our child grow inside me…"

Sonic stared at her, "What the hell is she talking about?"

Conore lowered his ears, "That ain't Espio nor his mutant form."

Sonic then flicked to Conore, "What?"

Misty then sat and crossed her legs; "Mince at some occasions has some mind controlling abilities, if that's the case then…"

Both Sonic and Conore stared at her with their jaws dropped a little.

Misty then let down a tear in her eyes, "He's near, and if he's near, we might not see the light of day again. And use us, like cattle. And may do the same thing to Espio like six years ago."

Sonic had no idea what they were talking about, but got part of the idea Misty was talking about, but yet couldn't believe Mince would do such a thing to them, he never figured he was that cruel. The cruelest he seen was on the TV, a human woman was taken hostage, and was forced to make love to the ringleader of a gang for ten straight hours, then do it with the other guys, he never thought it was possible, but it was now.

Mince a mutant was harsh enough, but with the lust so great, he'd go this far, was just too hard to bear, and besides, what if that so called "child" was his own? From the ship and him admitting it without care, what if that was it, that Violet warned. Of all things, kids were one of his deepest hates, and seeing a girl raped was bad enough. But when he thought about it, Espio was with her; he wondered what it was like to see someone he deeply loved brutally raped in front of him, if that happened. It'd be devastating. Sonic couldn't bare it, and wrapped his arms around her, hugging, trying to comfort her from the misery and pain.

He turned his head to the chameleon that laid still.

His mind then clicked.

_Six years ago? Wait now, I was ten, that was when I was called in to accomplish a mission for the headmaster Huston, and left not willing to do it. Did she take it? And that what brought these two together? And that's when Mince was supposed to be dead? Now it's starting to make a little sense._

_I wonder how Espio was "used" back then._

Conore said nothing, his ears still flat, but yet agreed with her, it was really the only option, they couldn't risk it being born, who knows what would happen, especially with what Misty is, it'd not only slow them down, it'd give the Dark a chance to plan further ahead, and take one of them down one at a time. Since Eggman has disappeared, when Espio was rescued though, anything was possible, and the plan could be tried again, only start with someone else. If anything he hated, it was Quazaireon.

Him and the dark creature have come across one another so many times, it was like everyday was a Friday the 13th, cause somehow, Quazaireon's got to put some curse on him for a day, and ruin his life ahead of him.

Then comes the curse day made by the Light.

His worst was a sex switch, other guys hit on him so many times, it was worse than girls hitting on him while at either school or at a strip club. Guys whistled, pointed with hand gestures, and as they walked past him or behind him, they'd go smacking his ass all the time, not realizing he was under a curse not for a day, the whole week! Misty thankfully was around at the time, to help him out a little for the week. The one way that worked was to make his girl form a tomboy, which actually worked, and showed kinda who he truly was, and kept the guys away.

When the week ended, him, Canaras, Lighter, Topaz, Aaron, and Ricky all went to Mellony's mother's bar called "Point of No Return Bar", mainly to relieve the shock of suddenly waking up and becoming a vixen, and to get the terrible memory out of his head for a while. What was funny was one of the guys that tried hitting on him as a girl, just turned gay, and tried to hit on him again, only when Conore was normal. Aaron was no help either, and said that him and Aaron _were_ gay, but they were together. And to prove it, it was smack dab on the lips, twisty twist with the tongue, and a smack on the ass while walking out the door. As they walked to their cars, they all laughed hysterically at him and Aaron, they were on the ground and rolling about. Aaron also found it amusing, but Conore was the only one still disturbed.

That night was kept between the six, and no one knew since, not even Misty.

**FLASHBACK:**

At "Point of No Return Bar", Canaras, Lighter, Topaz, Conore, Aaron, and a husky named Ricky walked into the bar with ID's ready to show to Samiria, Mellony's mother, to prove they're still not fugitives or anything. Sadly though, they were street racers.

"Dude!" Aaron said with a grin on his face, "I can't eblieve your girlfriend's mom allows us to drink! Totaly sweet! Back where I came from, you were smacked with five beer bottles on the head if you were caught drinking under age. Or whipped."

Conore turned and smiled a little at the wolf, "I'm just glad that week's over, I swear, I haven't felt so violated in my life."

Lighter turned and laughed at Conore, "But hey! If you were really a guy, I would've had you in bed in ten minutes."

Conore quickly turned and punched the yellow and red hedgehog on the arm hard, as the hedgehog laughed hard. Canaras and Topaz just smiled and shook their heads. Topaz was the middle youngest of the group, as a chemeleon though, he was quiet. Canaras was also quiet, what gave the other five the advantage of drinking underage was because he was a legal drinking aged adult at twenty two.

Ricky is also an adult, but just turned one at eighteen. A blind husky that was given sight again thanks to Conore's glasses that he made for the husky. Capable of giving him sight when put on, and turning invisible to reveal his blue and silver eyes, it made the girls look. He was also kinda a rich one, owning a Mercedes-Benz McLaren built to the best, not just for driving, but like the others, street racing.

Samiria glanced up and smiled, "Well, what's the news?"

Conore gave Aaron a glare, knowing how the wolf can be when asked that.

Aaron ignored him and smiled, "Conore just had his curse week, and turned into a vixen!"

Samiria quickly started to crack up laughing, along with the other four that laughed hard again. Conore set his head in his hands embarassed by Aaron's statement.

The female wolf smiled, 'Don't worry hun, it'll eventually wear off."

Canaras then spoke up with a grin, 'After having his ass smacked once to many times, I don't think so."

The wolf lowered her ears a little, "I hope not by you."

Canaras flinched and glared at her a bit.

She turned back to Conore, "The usual?"

Conore nodded slightly, slipping his black glasses down into his eyes, hiding his blue eyes form the crowd of older guys around. The others also said their usual. Samiria quickly spun around and started making their orders.

Ricky turned to Conore, "Hey, I know exactly how you feel man, don't worry about it too much."

Conore lifted his head and faced Ricky, "Yeah, and I'm trying right now."

Topaz then finally spoke up,

Quickly their orders were set in front of them, and quickly they grabbed and drank, luckily they walked instead of drove, otherwise one of them would miss out a bit, and catch to see who had one too many shots in a drinking contest. But either way someone was gonna have something coming at them hard.

Samiria then glanced over their heads and spotted a group of older guys lauhging their heads off. Two echidna, another fox, and a blackbat sat at a table near the entrance. The black bat and the fox then turned to one another, and started pointing at the boys that sat in front of her. She blinked then stared at where the fox was pointing.

The fox was pointing at Conore.

"Oh, um Conore." Samiria poked his shoulder, "You're being takled about, and they look mighty intrested to meeting you."

"Let them come over here." Conore said, glancing through his dark shades, "I ain't moving until eleven, and that's that."

Aaron spun around to see the fox, and the fox was starting off towards them. Strangely the fox looked familiar, only more girlyish, which was kind of sad.

"Um, doesn't he look familiar though?" Aaron poked at Conore's shoulder.

The two hedgehogs, chameleon and husky then spun their bodies around and faced the fox that walked a bit drunk to them. The fox was a brownish color and wore black pants, but to their sadness, a pink shirt.

The fox then stood in front of Conore, "Are you gay?"

Conore's jaw dropped a little, "Excuse me?"

Aaron then stepped up, "Hey! You were the one smackin' my girlfriend's ass weren't ya?"

Samiria sighed and walked over to a black echidna on the other side of the bar, leaving them useless of any help. The guys then spun their heads at Aaron with irritation, wondering what the hell he was doing.

"Was she the one with the tomboyish look to her?" The fox slured a little.

Aaron nodded, "Yes, and she ain't the only one okay, Conore's mine, so keep away."

Conore let a small growl, "Aaron, you're pushing it..."

The fox kind of stared at the two for a moment, "Prove it."

Conore instantly wanted to run from his seat, he knew what would happen if those words were spoken in a certain subject.

"Fine, we will." Aaron nodded.

The wolf then quickly bent over a little, and grabbed the fox's hands, smacking his lips against his, making it into almost a real kiss, as if he meant it. Conore was tense, and wanted to knock the wolf away, but seeing he was trying to save his future, he kept still, and barely coroperated. The other four then started to laugh histerically, and laid their heads on the bar, their backs jumping a little from the laughter that echoed within them.

Aaron then went further and slipped his tongue in the fox's mouth, making his help out, and slightly damping their mouths a little to show the lust between them, the fake lust.

The fox shrugged, "Well ladies, enjoy your strip dance."

Conore then bit Aaron's tongue and made him release and break off the moment, and stared at the fox. Conore whipped his mouth and sighed a little, irritated enough. The fox then stumbled back to the table he was at, that the two hedgehogs, bat, and the fox strutted out the door. The black echidna that seen them then quickly went after them, his police badge shining against the light.

They stood frozen as they watched the echidna go after the drunk gays, wondering if they were next, except Canaras.

"Personal friend of mine." Samiria returned.

They spun thier heads at her, seeing her starting to laugh.

"I can't believe my boyfriend's son would do such a thing, I mean honestly."

Conore sighed, and slapped down five bucks on the counter, "Sorry for not fninishing, but I've got to get sleep, after that."

Topaz smiled a little, "It is kinda funny though."

Lighter turned, "Why do you say that?"

Ricky then tapped the hedgehog's shoulder, "Cause we've got five more over there."

They spun their heads over and seen a group of more foxes and wolves staring at them with grins of lust. Quickly they made thier way to the door. Canaras leading them out, then Lighter, Ricky, and Topaz. Conore and Aaron were about to go through the doors, until Aaron stopped him.

"Wait Conore."

"Huh?" Conore stared.

"Just for the hell of it." Aaron grinned, and quickly slapped his right on the ass, making the fox leaped a foot into the air in shock, and stumbled out the door. Aaron laughed a little and walked outside where the others were waiting.

Conore laid on the cement nearly dead, as the five fell to the gorund and laughed thier heads off even more, even Canaras was on the ground laughing with Lighter. They couldn't help but laugh so hard that they nearly choked. Aaron quickly hugged Conore as a friend in comfort.

"I am so sorry man." Aaron smiled.

Conore lowered his ears, "Off..."

**END FLASHBACK**

As his mind drifted back to the normal world again, he felt a sudden push in his chest, pain striking from his chest and wound from Espio's bite. He howled loudly and rolled onto his side, curled up as the pain drilled his chest, moving downward to his stomach, feeling his internals rearrange and his bones dislocate and rejoin. His heartbeat grew faster, and the pain made it's way to his back, making the fox howl even more in agony, and flop around from the waves of pain that struck brutally. The pain the ran back to his chest, his heart starting to pound harder and harder, while this ribs tried to expand a little out of his skin.

Misty and Sonic leaped from their spots as Conore rolled to his back, watching him suffer, unsure about what to do.

Misty though remembered when her and Espio were back at the tower, Mince's words.

"_Just so you know." _Misty remembered from Mince,_ "That liquid you seen in your gashes, from here on out, if you ever attack anyone else with the Serpents of yours, they too, become what you are almost instantly. And once that happens, all your friends will blame you, all because you went after a stupid fox."_

She covered her mouth in fright and grew scared as she watched her cousin suffer.

Conore couldn't move, and his chest continued to stab him with pain, his muscles bulging, trying to push the skin to grow larger for his muscles to grow. The fox vision blurred, slowly drifting to darkness, a sign that what he was becoming might stay in his body forever. All he lastly seen was a white figure standing above him, and dropping in front of his face.

"Aaron?" Conore tried to speak.

The wolf sighed, "Forgive me for this Conore, but it's for your life."

"Aaron? What are you doing?" Sonic asked, holding Misty away from him and the fox.

Aaron ignored the two, and got above Conore's head, as the fox lay on the ground stiff as a rock. The wolf quickly kneeled down and grabbed the fox's cheeks, and held his head still, and took a deep breath, closed his eyes, leaned over, and once again, kissed the fox on the lips.

In almost an instant, the pain was gone, and his body shifted slightly to normal, shrinking a little from the muscles bulging, and his rib cage expanding a little. His body feeling normal, but also a feeling of tranquility ran through him, it was like someone just took all the pain that he contain inside and made it disintegrate from his body, and made the feeling of recreation run through him.

Aaron deeply didn't want to, but to secure the fact Conore would be okay, he slipped his tongue into his mouth, and the wound on Conore's arm around his scar vanished, like the scar was never touched by Espio's bite. He slipped his hands from the cheeks to behind his head, but kept his kiss, giving time for the healing to remove anything evil from the fox's body. The wolf laid back his ears to try and hear if anyone was coming, he only heard Sonic's steps that paced in front of him, and that was it.

Misty and Sonic were amazed, and stared at Aaron with shock. Even though it was kind of stupid, the fact that Conore healed in almost an instant was a shock to them. They stepped towards them and knelt down, waiting for Conore to wake again.

Aaron felt Conore's head move slightly, and quickly broke the kiss, and sat back, giving the fox some room to move around. Conore rolled to his side as he squinted his eyes, and got on his hands and knees, his arms shaking a little from the tranquility that ran through him, it was like a dream he didn't want to wake up from. He rubbed his head from the sticks that poked him a little, and glanced up, seeing Aaron there on his knees, with a guilty look.

Conore stared at him with amazement, "That was _you_?"

Aaron slightly nodded.

"I never knew you had that ability." Misty stated, "and you've been with us for four years."

Aaron lowered his head, "it's kinda a tribal gift."

Conore raised his head a little, "You belonged to a tribe? Why didn't you say something?"

"It's a long story." Aaron stated, "But remembered how I did that back at the village, I sensed evil, and so to make sure, I kissed you to see if you possessed something, and you did."

"Why didn't you say something?" Sonic asked.

"Cause I didn't know how severe it was.' Aaron said getting up, and glancing over at Espio, "But we need to get the chameleon to the village, and fast."

"Right." Sonic agreed, "Speak nothing of this?"

"The kissing yes doesn't speak." Conore stated briefly, "The other stuff, start yappin' about."

"Yeah." Misty smiled at Aaron, "Save that to shock the others."

Aaron stared at her for a moment, then started to help Conore with dragging Espio back.

There was laughter in the trees; the four spun their heads around, looking for the source of the loud laugh that echoed through the trees.

"Remember." The voice of Mince echoed, "This is only the beginning of the fifth Kiroshioneze War. You will suffer!"

There was a loud screech that then burst through, then started to fade, hearing the sounds of some tree branched rustling above them.

They shivered, and quickly moved.


	16. Another Issue

**Chapter 16: **

**Another Issue**

It was morning, the room seemed bright, white lights blurry for a moment, then clearing, showing a white ceiling and a small ceiling fan in the center.

Espio blinked a few times and shook his head into sense. Realizing what happened, he sprung from the bed and started to panic a little, wondering what happened. Flicking his head right and left, spotting Misty to the left, smiling a little at him, her red eyes seemingly soft with peace.

He stared at her with shock, "What happened?"

"Conore nearly mutated because of your attack." Misty told him, "and you were being possessed by Mince's mind."

Espio stared, "How do you know?"

She quickly lowered her ears and lowered her head, "Cause you mentioned making a child in me grow."

Espio's mouth dropped like an anvil, and jumped in his bed alost a foot, "You're pregnant? With Mince's CHILD?"

She stared, "Don't know, Marie's suppose to have the results here soon."

Espio twitched with anger and fury, the thought of her giving birth to a scrawny crazy chameleon's child was something he snarled at furiously, his body tensed, and his muscles stiff from the anger that tugged on him.

_Why did he do this, to her?_

He glanced over, "How soon?"

Misty shrugged.

Espio lied back on his bed and laid a hand on his forehead, his head aching a little, "What are we going to do Misty? We can't kill him no matter what we do. His brother was the only one that knew how, and he's dead. You could be carrying his child for no reason. I was mind controlled…"

The hedgehog then sat on the side of his bed, "Look, don't stress out, we can take care of it if it comes positive."

Espio spun and glared at her, "How?"

She lowered her ears, "Like what _he _said through you."

Espio quickly swung his legs around by Misty, and embraced her, so angered by the mad scrawny one's doing. Now she may has to suffer, and if so, who knew how soon she'd be due, knowing how Mince did it once before was just too horrid to think about.

Poor Jared, poor Mellony.

Poor Samiria…

Espio then had a tingling thought creep into his mind. If Mince was capable of controlling his mind, then what if Misty was right, the words "he" spoke was to be the same way with him also.

Could it be possible?

Either way, if it was positive, it had to be born, and it had to be killed, no matter what it takes.

Espio released Misty, and stepped to the doors, and then stopped, "Come on."

Misty stared at him, "What?"

Espio gritted his teeth in fury, "A tingling feeling crept into my mind, and if it's positive, we're headed out of the door with no questions asked."

Misty took a deep breath and let a small teardrop trail down her cheek.

"Come on." Espio snarled a little

-------------------

"Okay, I'm confused." Shadow scratched his head, "What happened?"

Conore grunted, "Due to Mince's cruel act, Misty might be-"

He was then interrupted by Misty and Espio's appearance, by a hallway entrance, holding the hallway door open. Everyone turned and stared at them. Sonic knew instantly that Espio was furious, and that just by the look in his eyes, he knew what he had to do if the test was positive.

"Espio!" Amy cried out, jumping to her feet and hugging the chameleon.

Misty made a slight growl in her throat, turning away a little from the two.

Sonic stared at her with confusion; first she's chased him, now she's after Espio? What made her think she could just run over and love him when the two shared something, and want it solid? He fumed a little, doing so was only asking for a death wish.

Espio ignored her and pushed her away, his gold eyes shifting to snake-like eyes as he blinked, "It's coming out if the results are true."

Their mouths dropped, "What?"

Rouge quickly stood on her feet, "Are you crazy? Who knows what it could become! And who knows what'll happen after it's born!"

"I know exactly what'll happen." Espio growled, "Someone's going to shoot it dead."

There was a moment of silence, and no one spoke for a long time. Sonic though strongly agreed with him. Still fumed by Amy's switched thought, a change of heart, willing to dare herself to try and make Espio fall in love with her was stupid.

He stood up, "That'll be my job."

They all spun their heads at him.

"Thank you Sonic." Espio thanked.

Mellony lowered her ears, "Since when did you two make up all of a sudden?"

Sonic faced the wolf, "Your mother faced the same thing you know."

Mellony was then quickly angered, "How dare you speak of my mother! There was an actual _cure_ back then! So that gives you no right to compare her to Misty! And how in hell do you know my mother!"

Conore turned and grabbed her shoulder, telling her to calm down. She stared at the hedgehog with a threatening glare, but calmed down a little.

Conore turned to Espio, "_If_ it's true."

Marie then poked her head between Misty and Espio, shoving them a little to step forward. They moved by the group, and the room silenced quickly and they all stared at Marie with worry.

"Well." Marie sighed, "It's negative."

Misty sighed in relief, and fainted, Espio catching her as she fell towards him, and held her up, still looking at Marie. Amy quickly grew a bit jealous, but wished it was positive. The others also sighed in relief, shaken and stunned, thankful for the results.

"But!" Marie raised a hand, catching their attention again, "Remember how I tested you all for the hell of it?"

They quickly silenced and stared back at her.

Except Shadow, "Oh my god! Aaron's pregnant!!!"

They all then turned and snarled at Shadow with fury. Aaron then couldn't take it, and spun around, smacking Shadow in the face with a crowbar from one of the chairs, knocking him out cold.

Marie sighed a little, "Anyhow, one of you turned positive."

Tails blinked, "For what?"

She turned to Amy, "Amy's the one."

Their mouths dropped like anvils, "WHAT!?!?"

Amy stood with paralysis seemingly run through her, her body frozen like ice. She then closed her eyes and fainted, falling on the ground with a thud.

Misty then shifted to her fox form and leaped from Espio's arms, "HOW? How did _she_ get it?"

Rouge leaped onto her feet, "She was with me practically the whole time!"

Marie raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

Knuckles also stood up, "Yes! She happened to have stayed here the whole time!"

Sonic turned to Knuckles, "Except when she came here."

"That's right!" Mellony raised her head.

Marie then leaned against the wall, "Mince was probably on a stroll when he found her, and well, you know from there."

Tails stared at her, "But then she would've been in ruins and would've complained."

"Because he erased her memory with the Dark's power, and basically curing her of the bruised she got. Remember you guys, we're dealing with Espio twenty times stronger."

Espio sighed and turned his head to Amy's passed out body, "Guess she's coming with us."

Misty growled a little, lowering her ears, "No, you're not going without me."

They turned to her; he face was filled with some suspicion and glared at Amy as she woke up from her moment of truth. Sonic took a closer look at the fox, and seen her eyes glow a little, kind of a bright bluish color.

"You're not going without me, and plus, she doesn't need your assistance." Misty growled, "It's growing, and we need to move, now!"

-------------------

About ten minutes passed, and Sonic, who held a shotgun with a strap, Espio, Misty in her hedgehog form, and Amy, made their way into the forest, their minds racing with thoughts, whether if it was about the past, present, or future. Scared to death, they were uneasy about what they were about to do, with the fact that it was going to be painful to see a new life brought into the world be shot, because of Mince's doing was too painful to think about.

The woods grew thicker, and Amy started to shake even more, scared for her life, and scared for the others, she wished in her mind she was dead. Espio lead the way, his eyes on the alert for the evil one, if he seen him near, he was more than willing to attack, he was willing to tear him to shreds. Sonic just thought of how if he didn't sleep with Misty in the first place, none of this would've happened, and Amy wouldn't have came back, this time, he blamed himself, and wanted to go back in time and shoot himself.

There then came a spot surrounded by large bushes, and in the center was a small open spot. The morning sun shining down on it definitely made it look small.

Misty turned to Sonic; "You wait outside of these bushes, until I call for you."

Sonic slightly nodded, gripping the gun tightly, and turned his back, and leaned against a tree, just outside the bushes. He though felt he was too close, and walked away for a few yards more, keeping the gun in his hands ready to shoot.

He sat at the foot of a tree, and gripped the gun with awareness and caution, sweat dribbling down in his gloves and making him a little hot than he wanted it. He took off his gloves to relieve some of the heat, and on his right ring finger was the blue sapphire ring that was given to him.

He stared at it for a long time, seeing still shine with faith, and glowed a little to show life inside. Sonic smiled slightly, remembering what the old times were like back then, but knowing how dangerous it was starting to get, he needed to regain his friend's hearts again, and not making them turn against him. Just by what has happened to Espio wasn't enough, but when this occurred, Sonic realized they were in for a big wake up call.

Like Misty said one time, this was only the beginning, and it's going to get worse by the minute, and the enemies are going to be a lot more of a threat than what they've dealt with.

Mince was the big wake up call he just realized. How he lived through the explosion, how he impregnated Amy, that was all a small taste of what he could do, what next?

He seen something in the corner of his eye, and flicked his head around to his left and gripped the lower end of the gun ready to pull it up and shoot. All it was though was a black bird that shined a little purple and blue against the morning sun.

He put his hand back on the barrel, and stared at the bird.

The bird made a loud squawk at him, ruffling its feathers a little, then staring off towards where the other two were. Which reminded Sonic, he only got two shots, one in the barrel, and another load in the sling that came with the gun. Smart, just in case Mince was around.

The image of Ramaindna then came to mind.

Quickly he flicked his head back to the bird, and seen it was still sitting there, staring in the same direction still. Sonic examined it, wondering if Ramaindna was like Mince, capable of shifting into different forms. He couldn't quite tell, though black, purplish, and bluish, it just didn't seem to ring a bell she was near. And besides, she saved him once, what's the point of shooting her? And what if it wasn't her? A waste of a bullet to a bird…

He turned his head in front of him, staring the other way from the bird's staring direction, gazing at the sun that was half way up above the trees. The slight orange glow reminded him of Tails, the one he most loved like a brother. Remembering his prophecy, and partly hearing the muttering of him, he let down a teardrop. Tails, a werefox, it was kind of a scary thought, especially if one, his real brother Conore, was also one, and two, Conore was a member of a pack, which would make Tails part of the pack.

He shivered slightly.

The black bird then spotted him again, and flew over, landing on top of a thick branch of a dead tree to Sonic's right. Sonic seen the bird fly over him and glanced at the black bird, seeing its eyes were strangely a slight purplish.

He sighed, "Life sucks…"

The bird cocked its head a little, and then flicked it back upright.

Sonic stared at the bird, "I wish I had something for you, but I don't, sorry."

The bird squawked a little, and then leaped onto Sonic's shoulder, staring down at the gun. It then pecked at his shoulder, the pinch slightly hurting, making Sonic flinch a little.

Sonic turned his head at the bird, then glared at the gun he held, "Can't believe Mince did this to Amy, I just don't get it."

The bird seemed to understand and squawked more, spreading its wings out a little as it gazed up into the trees over Sonic's head. Sonic then too looked up where the bird squawked at, and searched the tree tops, seeing of the bird was warning him of something.

He saw nothing.

"I don't know what you're squawkin' at." Sonic growled a little, "But whatever it is, it's hidden."

"SONIC!" Misty called to him in the distance.

Sonic spun his head around the tree he sat against, then quickly sprung to his feet, making the bird fly off of his shoulder, and started to follow the hedgehog. Sonic gripped the gun with his right hand covering the trigger, and bolted to the bushes as fast as he could, his heart pounding hastily and painfully, from the call of a death toll ringing to him, if he didn't shoot, he'd pay a painful price.

He reached the bushes, and took one last breath before he went though the bushes and drew up the gun into his left hand.

-------------------

They sat with their minds on alert and worry, Shadow just waking from Aaron's attack, and finally understanding why everyone was practically trying to kill him. Tails sat by his brother and his brother's girlfriend, looking through the window, and prayed that the three would be okay. Conore and Mellony had a mental mind chat, where they only spoke through their minds, discussing the future a little. Aaron and Rouge talked for a bit, getting to know a little bit of each other, since Rouge was slightly interested in him. Marie was gone in her office; Knuckles sat and watched the crowd sit in almost silence.

The talking between Aaron and Rouge settled a little, and then it was silence in the room, like nothing seemed to exist. Everyone was still, and seemed breathless.

There was then a loud gunshot that echoed throughout the woods, crows cawing, as they were scared from the burst of sound. Everything seemed to have stopped, almost time itself; it was like a moment of death, and a moment of nothingness, as they all stared through the window with their eyes towards the woods, scared, shivering with fear.

It was done, and there was nothing they could do.


	17. Still Alive?

**Chapter 17: **

**Still Alive?**

Sonic's arms shook with shock bouncing around inside him, unable to open his eyes and witness what was brought into the world that he'd just killed. His body trembled with fear, and couldn't bear to look, his mind almost dead with fright.

There was then a bit of sobbing he heard. Sonic drew up the courage to look, and opened his right eye to see. He seen Amy, nothing on her, blood on her legs, as she set her head in her arms on her knees, sobbing wildly. He opened both eyes and turned to Espio and Misty, who both held one another as they lowered their heads, wishing none of this would've ever happened.

Sonic took a dare, and glanced down Amy's feet. Luckily there was so much blood and grass sticking up through the blood that it covered a small lifeless body from being stared at by him.

And it was Mince's doing, cause it was the shape of a chameleon.

He lowered his gun, and leaned against a tree, putting his hand over his face, "It's over…"

Misty stared up, "For now…"

There was a moment of silence, except with Amy crying still, shivering from the cold morning, and the slight breeze that whiffed through the air. It was like an ending to a movie, there's got to be a moment of silence not for the peace, but for defeating the enemy that has long lasted since the beginning of the movie, and has finally been defeated.

To Misty, it was like the scene on AVP, the human girl had finally killed the mother of all of the creatures, but lost her Predator partner in return. And when the dead corpse was taken, she was given back something god, a souvenir really, and as the ship left, she stood with awe, a long adventure that was a nightmare, losing her team, but walking out alive.

She felt like it was that moment, and gripped Espio tightly in slight fear.

The black bird then flew over by Sonic, and landed near him on a leaning branch from the tree, and squawked menacingly, flapping its wings a little and ruffling its feathers. As it squawked, a sinister laugh echoed above them in the trees, which then developed into the signature laugh of all evil kind, hysterical, and evil. The laugh silenced the bird, and Sonic's spine chilled with menacing thoughts.

Amy stopped sobbing, and looked up, Sonic spun his head up into the trees behind him, and Espio instantly began snarling violently, putting his body in front of Misty's, his eyes turning snake-like, and fangs bared. Sonic turned over to Espio to see what was the chameleon's problem, and then spun back towards the laugh that faded a little.

Up in the trees, there stood on a thick branch, Mince, leaning against the tree on the branch, and his eyes black with red slits.

"YOU!" Espio snarled even more violently.

"Now now Espio." Mince laughed a little, "no need to get so rough in the tone, I'm not going to do much harm, for now."

Sonic then gripped his gun and aimed at the chameleon, about ready to shoot. The black bird though quickly landed on the front, and squawked even more. Sonic growled at the bird, wanting it to move, but then kinda seen what point it was making, they tried killing him once with the bomb, and it didn't work. So what's the use?

Mince chuckled, "Well, good news, we've found Eggman."

Amy shivered slightly.

"He's not what he used to be, and, I know one thing Espio, you'll make a great breeder."

Espio cocked his head a little, "What?"

Mince grinned, and snapped his fingers. The lifeless child that Sonic shot then disappeared from the ground, leaving no trace of where it went. Sonic flicked his head back around to see the body gone, then flicked back up at Mince who started to walked a little on the branch.

"Oh yes, when the time comes Espio." He sneered, "Not only will you have discovered the secrets, but you would have nurtured an ultimate weapon of the Dark as well, and make us even more stronger, and make you more useful."

A shot of pain the struck Espio's stomach, and the chameleon quickly fell over, part of him falling into the bloodspot, and squirmed around on the grass, his stomach thrusting with shockwaves of pain. Amy quickly grabbed her clothes and jumped into the bushes to change, also hiding from Espio's suffering. The other two stayed back, and watched the chameleon flinch and frolic around, unable to do anything.

The black bird then flew up at Mince, and started squawking at him, making the scrawny chameleon back up against the tree again, both staring at one another as the black bird squawked and pecked his head several times. Mince flinched every time it pecked, and tried waving it away, but it only stuck around and squawked more, furious.

Mince growled a little, and snapped his fingers again, making the pain in Espio cease, and left him motionless.

"You're lucky this time." Mince growled a little, "But let me warn you, you won't know when it'll happen, where, how, and why, cause you'll be dead."

The chameleon then camouflaged, and ran off unseen, leaving the four alone for once. espio gasped for air, trying to regain the energy he lost, and laid in the blood, wishing Mince was dead.

---------------------

"Well…" Tails spoke, "What do we do when they come back?"

Conore sighed briefly, "We move out of this place and head west again, and we move tomorrow morning."

Rouge stared at the fox, "The other four then won't get hardly any rest! And Plus, why would we want to move from here? If we stay, we'll stay as one."

Conore flicked his head around at the bat, "But then Mince knows our location, and we'll be attacked right and left, if we move, he won't be able to pin-point our location, and if he does, we'd have moved. Distorting his plan."

Shadow nodded in agreement, "Makes sense, but like Rouge asked, what about the other four?"

Knuckles growled a little, "They'll have to tough it out. No matter how much pain it takes."

Mellony rolled her eyes, "Well you guys can go without me, I ain't takin' part in this, and I'll be here with Marie until we move."

Aaron poked at Mellony, "You really want us to leave you?"

Mellony nodded slightly.

"What about your pack?" Tails turned to his bro.

"They're headed northeast, they'll be fine." Conore insured.

Rouge sat in a chair next to Shadow, "I feel so sorry for Amy."

Shadow rolled his eyes, "She kinda deserved it."

The bat gave a dark glare at the hedgehog, and slapped the side of his face in a bit of anger.

Aaron then lowered his ears, "Maybe I should stick with Mel and Marie, at least until we meet again, act kinda as a body guard."

Conore stared up, "You better then be careful."

There was a small sound of a thud near the doorway; they spun their heads around to the door, flicking up their ears and eyebrows in curiosity. In walked in Sonic first, holding Amy's body as she wrapped her arms around his neck, with the gun slung around him. Then entered Misty in her hedgehog form, being a support to Espio's body, as he rode on her back seeming like he was about to fall dead at any given minute, hardly any movement.

Sonic gestured his head to Rouge to move, the bat quickly flipping backwards and land on her high-heels, allowing Sonic to set Amy in the chair. Misty though collapsed in the middle of the floor on her knees, having a bit of a hard time breathing right. Quickly Aaron and Knuckles grabbed Espio and laid the weak one on the floor, setting one of the seat cushions underneath his head to support. Misty got up and turned to see Espio, his arms on his chest as if he was prepared to die, and his eyes closed with a gesture of misery, and is body lay almost dead with no movement.

Knuckles looked up, "What happened?"

Sonic spun his head to him, "One minute, we kill the thing, the next, Mince appears, and takes it with him, leaving Espio to suddenly feel intense pain in his stomach."

Misty then stood by Espio's head, "We thought he was going to mutate again."

"It was just after I ran into the bushes to get dressed again." Amy said with still a saddened voice, "I just can't believe this happened though. It was painless, but horrid."

Misty twitched, "I couldn't watch…"

Aaron stood up, "Well you guys are going to get up real early and leave this place, right Conore?"

Conore nodded slightly, "Early, yes."

Sonic then flicked his head to the fox, "So how soon should we dump?"

"About nine." Conore stated, "Right now though, we still got a whole day ahead of us."

Misty quickly shifted to her fox form, stepping right by Espio's stomach and laying her head on top of his hands, whimpering slightly.

Knuckles sighed, "So no one knows how to kill this bastard?"

No one replied, and shook their heads.

"Damn…" Shadow cursed.

Tails started to grow a bit bored, and sat on the floor underneath the large window that stared into the forest, and drug out the book he took with him and started reading. Ignoring everyone else around him, he stared quietly at the books words.

He tuned the real world out, and began reading after flicking two black pages:

_"To the reader:_

_This book, Song of the Moon is no story, in here are not just legends, but actual facts. And if you are anyway, shape, or form, of these creatures, you best read this whole thing for your own safety._

_I have over the years have drawn and snapped pictures of each beast of the moon in here, there maybe slight variations, but nothing major. I guarantee you that if you are one of these, you learn everything there is to know, like various things called Moon-Songs, rituals, lifestyle, variations of forms, variations of species, and much more._

_Be warned, what sits in your hands as of right now is the one thing that tells the truth of everything, so what states in here, is_ _one hundred percent true. There are myths, but the facts I put here are all true._

_Take care of this book, and treasure it with your life. This is the key to living your nightmares ahead of you."_

Tails sat and stared at the final paragraph for a bit, then sighed and turned the page into the contents. Luckily it was A-B-C order, and flipped the page and looked more, and found the S's.

Tails scrolled through the section, wondering if what he was, was in the list of S's.

_Scenic Moon…_

_Scorpion Tail…_

_Serene Healer…_

_Serpent Licker Mutant…_

Tails stopped, and flicked his eyes back up at Serpent Licker Mutant, and blinked in wonder, why was this imprinted in this book? He stared at it for a while, and then continued down the page, then to the next.

_Setter Ware…_

_Seyanie, Shadow Walker…_

_Shadow-Fox Ware._

Tails smiled a little, finding his type, quickly he seen the page number and flipped the pages in his hands towards the number, seeing flashes of images and bold letters that spoke through the pages as they flew from one side to another. He neared the page he aimed for, and flipped the pages with his fingertips rapidly, interested in what his species hid in this book.

He came to his page number:

**Shadow-Back Ware**

**(Kiroshioneze Spirit Exploiter.)**

Tails stares at the big bold letters that yelled at him, he though didn't understand why what he was, were called a Kiroshioneze Spirit Exploiter. It must be a bad thing already.

He flipped the page, and was caught off-guard by a very detailed photo just behind the page. He jumped a little from the photo's astounding call out to him, and examined the photo.

In the photo was a large fox with two tails, whitish against the moonlight, with black markings on its arms, face, almost everywhere. The white fangs that flickered against the frozen flash of the camera, shining like the moon behind it, the red eyes that reflected to him were bright, and the claws glistened with blood, probably from a kill it made.

Tails was amazed at the photo, and looked at the bottom to see a bit of a caption.

_"My friend Lockar, part of the Moon-Spring Pack was one, he allowed me to take this photo, and I promised him that this would be the only place that the photo would go, besides my photo album. He later joined the Armageddon Pack, one of the most ancient packs in the history of the Kiroshioneze culture, lasting for more than five hundred years. Reason for the blood was he recently found a deer before he met me here, I thought it added some, well, more detail."_

_He joined the Armageddon Pack? If that's the case, then, maybe he's still in it!_ Tails thought to himself.

Tails quickly flicked his head over to the page beside the photo, and began reading.

_"**Legend:**_

_The Shadow-Back Ware, or Shadow-Back Werefox is the second most powerful Ware ever to have existed, capable of using the Kiroshioneze Spirits as power for defeating its enemies when it feels deeply threatened._

_"The name originated from Rona Desert, one day a male fox walked into the shrine of Klatoparia, goddess one of five of the Shadows. That fox actually did something that rewarded him ultimate power, but not realizing that the reward included being a Werefox for the rest of his life._

_"What he became though was something the residents of Rona Desert have never seen. His back covered in darkness of shadows, and markings strolled the arms, legs, and tails of the fox, his body immense, much larger than any Ware they seen. When the fox attacked, it summoned the Kiroshioneze Spirits to aid him in his vicious attacks, and killed many people. Since there was a special marking on his back that pierced throw the shadow on his back, the Rona Desert residents entitled the beast, a Shadow-Back Werefox, of Kiroshioneze Spirit Exploiter._

_"Later a female entered the same shrine, and was cursed the same way. Sensing the presence of each other, they quickly found each other, and started a small pack, which later on bred more and more, and more. Brother's mating with Sisters, Cousin's with Cousins, the whole works. Until more people entered the shrine, they were also cursed the same way. Soon, the whole Rona Desert residents were Shadow-Back Werefoxes. They all then went their separate ways after ten years of living a dark life._

_"How they became rare was because they started to breed with other Wares, not realizing they were destroying the population. Quickly the population decreased._

_"They are still out there, just in more modern form, back then, this species was very large, three times the size of a human, now though, they're smaller, but a lot smarter, quicker, and powerful. If you are one, you better consider yourself lucky, not only will you be feared by other threatening packs, but you'd also be almost worshipped for your ancient blood-line."_

Tails blinked in amazement, shocked by what he read, how his species originated was Rona Desert! That was where Conore's curse was supposed to take place!

"Tails?" Sonic spotted him.

Tails flicked his ears up and stared up at Sonic, "Yeah?"

Sonic shrugged, "Just seeing if you were okay."

Tails examined the room, and seen Mellony, Aaron, and Conore were gone, otherwise everyone else was still around.

He shrugged and closed the book.

Misty shifted to her hedgehog form, but kept her head on Espio's hands, worried if the chameleon would be okay.

She sighed a little in distress.

The chameleon then flinched a little in the shoulders, and flicked his eyes open, staring up towards the ceiling. He sighed in relief and started to move his body, making Misty sit up and sit next to him as he moved.

Knuckles smiled, "You okay Espio?"

Espio nodded slightly, "Yeah, just needed a bit of shut-eye, that's all."

Rouge nodded slightly, "You looked like you were dead for a moment."

Espio then seen Misty, and his eyes quickly turned a bit into a glare, "We need to talk Misty, now…"

Misty poked her ears up a little in alert, wondering what she did. Espio quickly jumped to his feet, and shook his body a little to get the sleepiness out of him, and waved Misty to follow. Misty shrugged and got up on her feet, and followed the chameleon into the room Espio was last taken to, and closed the hallway doors behind them.

The others sat clueless. Why now all of a sudden?

------------------

Espio shut the door as Misty entered, and sat on the bed, staring at Espio with concern. The chameleon, closed his eyes for a second, and then started walking to the hedgehog in peace.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked him, cocking her head a little.

Espio glanced up at her, and grabbed her hands as he stood in front of her, "I really am sorry for what happened."

Misty lowered her ears, "Don't be, it's not your fault."

Espio the stared up at her, his eyes starting to grow a bit slimmer, "I do though, need you."

Misty raised her head and ears up again, and instantly knew why, but asked anyways,"What for?"

Espio tugged her from the bed, and she leaped from the bed, and leaned against it. Espio then got closer, gripping her hands tightly, he lowered his head and closed his eyes, looking down at the ground blind, and started to shake a little, "My…craving…It's growing…stronger. I can't…contain it…"

Misty let a small growl echo in her throat, "How bad?"

His body continued to shake a little, and his breathing started to grow deeper and sounded faster, "Almost…all the way…Please…"

Misty felt a bit disturbed, they haven't caught up on their four year separation, and what she might not do could make him go into a frenzy again like just after they saved him. Being restrained, nearly killing Charmy, she didn't want herself to be endangered, nor the others, but at the same time, she didn't want to do it yet.

"We won't go all the way." Misty gave in a little, "Promise me that?"

Espio flicked his head up, and opened his eyes, his gold eyes turned snake-like, and stared at her with a "really" look. Misty nodded slightly, letting a small grin crease her face, giving him permission.

Espio smiled, and quickly pressed his lips against hers, his fangs instantly piercing her tongue as they started to get closer, soon embracing one another. Misty allowed him to feed on her for both reasons, for the blood lust, and the lust for pleasure, but only to a certain extent.

Espio sucked on her wounded tongue for the blood, his body starting to feel a bit more energy filled, and his craving barely declining. He slowly forced her onto the bed, her backside sliding against the blanket beneath her, scrunching up, and slightly pillowed her head. The chameleon unsheathed his claws and dug them into her shoulders, making more blood dribble out, and quickly he sucked on her shoulders for it, so nothing was wasted.

It seemed to last for a very long time.

----------------

Tails continued to read the book, curious about his species, after reading the Legend was a good enough start. Now it was onward to the Lifestyle

_"**Lifestyle:**_

_A Shadow-Back Ware may be second most powerful, but it doesn't mean that they have the easy life. Food is definitely hard to catch, breeding is limited, and along with (depending on if the victim's dominance) habitat. If mainly wild, deep and ark forests, if dominant, then well, you would know, able to shift whenever they desire, why not live in the city?_

_Well, most packs travel with family, but Shadow-Backs are known for only traveling with the worthy, it's practically a sixth scent to them, to sense when one's worthy or not to travel in its pack. Easily, a Majestic Moonlight Ware will qualify as worthy, because it's a descendant (or a second class people say) of the Shadow-Back. The Majestic Moonlight is really a modern version of the Shadow-Back, however, they aren't as powerful, and they rank third. Otherwise, Hogs, Echidnas, and some Reptiles aren't, unless they take them on themselves, and beat them, which is incredibly rare._

_Food wise? What else, Meat, meat, and more meat, like just about any other Ware. They're picky though. Shadow-Backs can easily determine what prey is of good catch; old meat is something it'll deal with, but only to a certain extent. Newborn prey is something they won't go after, even if it's the only thing in the field. Not even the Ware pups will hunt them, mainly because the challenge is low, and because sometimes the meat in them isn't at its best."_

Tails raised an eyebrow a little; "I guess that's why I don't go to restaurants very much."

_"**Pack Rules:**_

_Yes, there are actually pack rules! Isn't it really amazing how these Wares survive with these rules?_

_Like I already stated, they only join or allow ones that are worthy, otherwise you'd better start running. If the outsider that wants to join is a youngster, it depends on how long its been alone, and how old it is, there's a certain age of which the one will realize a difference, and may turn against, and they definitely appear dangerous if not taken lightly._

_Another rule is only to cross another territory in an emergency, really only because of a blocked path. Otherwise they try and wander around it. There may be others, but none have been known._

_A third rule would be to mate in summer, this way the young ones get a hard start. This though is good, cause then they are born to live with harsh weather and harsh traveling, but since they have to sit for a while, it just gives them the experience of the cold. People say this isn't good, but really, it is._

_To challenge the alpha is a triple dog dare! Only challenge the alpha if you've faced anything above a Serpent Licker Mutant, then you're ready to face the alpha. Reason being is because these Serpent Licker Mutants are almost a perfect match against the Shadow-Back, because of the quickness and smarts. When facing the leader, always remember to be on your feet at all times, so you save yourself from being nearly killed, and so you can try and outrun the leader, if that's the weakness of the leader. Remember, NOT ALL ARE EQUAL!!! If you think they are, you're in for a world of hurt. Second thing to keep in mind is if you trip on something, and land on your stomach, roll to the side quickly! If landed on just right, the spinal cord will snap, and you're dead._

_But really, be on your feet at all times and be quick! When you're down, you lose."_

Tails took a bit of a gulp, and glanced over at Conore, who was back in the room. He scanned him up and down, examining the features that the fox possesses. He knew one thing; Conore was quick on his feet, which was proven when Misty called for help, he shifted and bolted like Sonic.

Fierce was another thing he remembered. And strong. Being attacked by him almost killed him, to feel the grasp that Conore had against his neck when he was near becoming a Hellhound was massive, it was like having an anvil holding you down. Just they way he looked against the moonlight was definitely scary. At least he knew he was also one.

But Tails sat for a second, and blinked a few times, staring at the picture of the Ware blankly.

_So if it's my first time, and if I still have this restraint on me, I shouldn't run wild, but if I don't, who knows what'll happen._

Tails then glanced back at Conore, who stood talking with Knuckles and Shadow.

_I wonder how his first time was?_

Sonic seen Tails, and turned to him from listening to Aaron, Rouge, and Mellony, "You okay?"

Tails blinked and slapped the book closed and smiled a little at Sonic, "Hehe, yeah, I guess."

Sonic then walked over at sat beside Tails underneath the large window, "I really am sorry, for all that has happened…"

Tails nodded, "Don't worry Sonic, this is new to all of us, how's Amy?"

Sonic turned his head to his feet, "Still in shock, it's like she can't move at all, like she's paralyzed for the rest of her life."

Tails nodded, and turned and stared at his own feet, "I don't blame her either, it's kinda creepy when you think about it for a while."

Sonic shivered a little, "To be raped by a crazy, scrawny, mad scientist, chameleon mutant? I'd never get out of bed for years."

Tails then turned to Sonic, "What did you do with the corpse anyways?"

Sonic raised his head a little, "It just disappeared. When Mince snapped his fingers and said…"

Sonic then stopped and thought about what Mince said for a bit.

"_Oh yes, when the time comes Espio. Not only will you have discovered the secrets, but you would have nurtured an ultimate weapon of the Dark as well, and make us even more stronger, and make you more useful."_

Sonic then jumped in shock, making Tails fall over in shock to the side, and knocking his head against the floor like a rock.

"OH MY GOD!!!" Sonic shouted in shock.

Everyone jumped a little and stared at Sonic with amazement, and wondered what the hell was wrong.

"What the hell?" Shadow cursed, "What is it that made you jump ten feet in the air?"

Sonic stood with his hands gripping his ears, as if he was ready to tear them off, "I know what happened to the corpse!"

Rouge also stared blankly, "What do you mean? I thought it was dead?"

"IT ISN'T!" Sonic cried and fell to his knees, then quickly bounced back up on his feet, "I've gotta get Espio! FAST!"

In that second, Sonic was gone through the doors at the speed of sound, knocking over Shadow, and Marie out of the way and making her smack in the wall beside her. The group stood and stared as the hallway doors flapped closed, and Tails sat up rubbing his head, wondering what made Sonic go into shock.

Sonic quickly got to the door, and kicked it open, startling Misty and Espio with the sound. Both leaped off the bed, and crashed onto the tile ground, Misty shifting forcefully into her fox form, and crashing on her head, her head stinging with pain. Espio landed on his stomach, and was about ready to let out a loud howl of the pain that struck his ribcage and his chest.

Sonic frantically waved his arms in panic, "Espioyougottogogetscreeeeeened! Andfast!"

Misty raised her fox head up; "You know if ya do something like that, it forces me into my fox form! And that gets really irritating after a while!"

Espio rolled to his side and grasped his stomach, "And this ain't a good time!"

Sonic then zipped over by Espio, "Nonononono! You don't underSTAND! I know what happened to the corpse thing I killed!"

Misty quickly sprung to her feet, and wobbled a little from the head injury, "What the hell are you talking about? What corpse?"

"THE THING I KILLED!" Sonic growled, "I know what Mince did with it!"

"Well, what?" Misty growled.

Sonic stared blankly for a bit, then turned towards the door, "MARIE!"

----------------

About ten minutes later, they gathered in a room where Espio lied on a bed, feet and head propped up, and a small TV with a mike looking device connected to it. Misty sat beside Espio in her fox form, and Sonic stood by Espio's head, with frantic spinning in him. The rest of the group stood and glared at Sonic, except Marie who was prepping the device.

"Okay, you want me to use this to look into Espio why?" Marie stared at Sonic, waved the mike a little in her right hand.

"Just do it!" Sonic nodded.

"What's that gonna prove?" Knuckles asked the blue hedgehog, "I mean, do you realize what that's for?"

Misty stared at the TV, then at Espio, then Sonic, then back to Espio, then jumped a little with shock, and quickly grew irritated, "Now hold on a second!"

Quickly they turned to the fox, as she ripped the plug from the plug-in, and swung it around her finger.

Sonic growled, "Put it back in Misty!"

"Now one second." Misty growled and pointed at Espio's stomach, "Are you trying to say that the dead corpse that you shot, was sent into Espio's stomach by Mince? Basically impregnating HIM? You're nuts!"

Sonic shook his head, "That there will prove that it's in him!"

Espio quickly sat up and glared at the hedgehog, "Sonic you've lost your mind! How and why would Mince do it?"

Aaron quickly spoke, "Exactly? So what's the point of doing this?"

"Yeah!" Shadow growled.

"Besides Sonic," Tails spoke up, rubbing his head, "Now I've got a headache from you jumping up like that!"

Misty nodded, "Same goes here."

Conore sighed, "Basically Sonic, you're mind has gone snap, and you've just took a swig of cold medicine and have lost it, now come on! Screw this."

Sonic turned to Misty, "Put that plug in…"

Espio then point a finger at Sonic, "I'll make a deal with you. If this _happens_ to show the corpse thing inside of me, I will jump in a pool of piranhas with steak strapped on my back, and swim carelessly without complaining about the pain. If it doesn't, _you_ owe us all not just an apology, but also two months of dating Amy!"

Sonic had no fear in his expression, and grabbed Espio's hand, "Deal!"

They shook hands, and they all watched as Misty sighed, and smack the small plug back in, and laid her head on the side of the bed.

"I understand m-preg on curse days," Misty growled, "But this is ridiculous…"

Marie shrugged, and pressed the mike device against Espio's upper stomach, pressing a green button, and the TV flashed on, showing what actually looked like Espio's stomach inside him, and started to maneuver the device downwards.

Mellony crossed her arms, "I see nothing."

"Yet." Sonic growled.

Espio grew with irritation, and put his hands behind his head, closing his eyes, not willing to watch something so unreal be proven real, it just seem stupid. Misty kept her head on the side of the bed, but kept her eyes on the screen, looking at the screen very carefully, just in case Sonic wasn't lying, but it was somehow hidden.

Tails rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, and snagged his book out and started to read again. The others however just watched for the fun of it, and stared at the screen.

Marie lowered the device some more, showing some white on the screen, and Misty quickly perked her head up, her ears up in alert, "Stop!"

The group stared at the fox, then back at the screen. Misty stared at the screen for the moment, and cocked her head, seeing barely distinct shape that seemed to be hidden within the gray and whiteness.

She lowered her ears, "Can you print that?"

Espio flicked his eyes open and stared at the screen, Marie nodded, and clicked another button on the mike, and a small printer next to the screen started to make some noise. Quickly Misty scampered over, and grabbed the picture that printed, and then walked over towards the table next to Espio. She shifted into her hedgehog form, and snapped her fingers, making a mechanic pencil pop into her hands, and stared at the picture, with everyone crowding over her shoulder, even Espio.

"I don't see anything." Tails stated.

Misty clicked the mechanical pencil, "Cause it's hidden."

Quickly she started sketching on the picture, trying to distinct between what she wants and what she doesn't, and sketched carefully. Marie ignored them and started disconnection the machine as they watched her, not really surprised at all.

Misty then quickly finished the sketch, and grabbed a second copy of the printout, and compared her sketch out with the second copy, and stared at it.

The group also stared at compared, looking closely between her sketch and the printout. As they all stared at the comparisons, the outline Misty drew seemed to show up on the untouched printout.

They matched!

They all shrieked, "AH!"

Marie turned over, "Is it there?"

Misty slammed her head on the table with her arm around her, "I can't believe this!"

Aaron then turned to Sonic, "You weren't fibbin'!"

The rest turned to him and stared with shock.

Sonic stared at the pictures with a bit of shock, "I actually guessed more than knew…"

Espio lay back in the bed and slapped his hand on his forehead, "No… it can't, it can't be possible…"

Marie then turned, "There's then one way to find out. Surgery."

Espio quickly leaped out of his bed onto his feet, and glared at the echidna, "Hell no! After what Amy's been through! NO!"

Mellony stepped forward, "If we don't do something, who knows what'll happen! You could die with that in you!"

Espio spun around, "If we were to try and do the same thing again, Mince will do it to someone else! And I guarantee you it could be Tails next!"

"Eep!" Tails started to shiver a little from his remark.

"I don't want anyone to suffer but me!" Espio growled, "Besides…"

He then turned to Marie, "I would've been more than happy to, but this creature could come alive and kill you while you try and kill it. And I don't want it to kill or impregnate anyone else."

He then turned back to the group, "I don't care if it takes until I die for it to rip out of me, I will be the one who suffers."

Misty stood up, "What you are is going to affect what this creature turns out, we have to get rid of it."

Espio then glared at Misty, "Do _you_ want to end up like Amy? Do you want to bear with the fact that you're carrying basically an alien inside you?"

Misty silenced and stepped back a bit, a bit tempered.

Espio then sat on the side of the bed, "However long it takes, I will keep it and suffer the consequence."

They all stared at the chameleon with worry, while Misty turned and walked out of the room, not turning back at their expressions as she headed out into the waiting room. Conore glanced back at Misty, and watched her walk out, seeing that se didn't want him to suffer, and somehow knew what will come his way. The fox lowered his ears in a way that said danger was to come, and it's nearing.

Tails stared up at Conore, then looked at the doors where only a glimpse of Misty was caught. The fox felt deeply sorry not only for Espio, but for her, not just because of the fact they knew each other before, but they dedicated their lives for one another. The fox seemed to know what was bound to come, and also trembled with fear, his heart pounding a little against his chest, and started to make his way towards the doors.

The group turned and watched Tails walk out of the room, followed by Conore. Espio only stared, and wrapped an arm around his stomach, feeling a slight kick inside him.

It was all real, and there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

XP Okay, I'm gonna stop here for a while and try to catch up on Start of a Hero, so ya people kinda know a bit more and not get confused, sorry ;;; 


	18. Long Day

**Chapter 18: **

**Long Day**

Misty sat in the waiting room, her feet on the tale, and arms crossed, her glare piercing her surroundings, mainly the wall ahead of her and stared at a small "Open" sign above another hallway. She felt nothing, it was like nothing seemed to matter, and nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

"Why…" She growled to herself, "Why did I dedicate my life to him…Why did I care? Why did I save him? And why does he still look for my help?"

Tails walked into the room, and stared at Misty, "Are you okay cous?"

Misty didn't even glance at him, "No…"

Tails took one step forward, "Do you want to talk?"

Misty closed her eyes, and stood up, "No."

Just as Conore walked in, Misty walked to Amy's room down another hallway, her body language limb and dark, like death seemed to ring in her head. There was a bit of an awkward silence that moment, Tails just stood with wonder, and tried to guess what made Misty so disturbed.

"What's wrong with her?" Tails slightly turned his head to his brother.

Conore sighed a little, lowering his ears, then shut the doors behind him, and locked them shut, "There's something I need to tell you."

Tails turned to Conore, "Is it about Misty?"

Conore nodded as he walked over to the doorway that Misty went through, and shut the doors, and locked them too, sealing himself and Tails in the waiting room alone.

"Sit." Conore said briefly.

Tails seen a chair right next to his left hand and sat in it with ease, watching Conore carefully as the fox locked the doors. Conore then wandered over and grabbed a chair, and dragged it in front of Tails. As the older fox sat in the chair, he snapped his fingers and in his hands was a bottle of water that appeared out of nowhere. Quickly the fox took a sip of the water and set it down on the small table.

He stared at Tails, "I want you to promise me that you won't tell anyone of what you'll be told. This is only to be kept between you, me, and Misty alone."

"Not even Espio? Or Sonic?" Tails asked, his ears up in alert.

He shook his head, "Not even."

Tails nodded in agreement.

"Kay then." Conore sighed, "Here's the story…

"About two years ago, Misty and I were called by N.A.S.I.N.A., National Air and Space Infiltration Navigator's Association, to a mission that we were to be assigned. Basically what this corporation is is really like a genetics lab, but for the greatest of reasons. We were called because of a abandoned base on a small island near the very south tip of Candonava, to retrieve some files from there that were suppose to have been returned to another corporation near the base in Candonava. Strangely it was stalled, and no reply was sent as to what happened.

"We were strictly warned that experiments were loose on this island, and they are contagious, so for our protection, we were given a whole team to work with. Our team was made of mainly rookies, which to me was not really what I was hoping for, and neither was Misty.

"Once we reached the island, the first thing we noticed were the plants. They were nothing we've ever seen, so we proceeded with caution, thinking that the plants were the experiments. We reached the entry to the building, and quickly separated into three teams, each team sent a different hallway. What we didn't know was what kind of experiments were running around.

"It was about fifteen minutes later, we received a call from our corporation saying to get out immediately. They didn't state why, but we hurried anyways, only to find that the door we came through was sealed shut, and we were locked in with the experiments.

"These things were vicious! These experiments that roamed there, they were like zombies and alien mixed in, and it was horrifying. Every time one of our team members was attacked, they'd start mutating into these creatures within a minute. Soon we were down to about four people, not counting Misty and I, and we originally had twelve."

Tails grabbed the bottle of water and quickly started to chug it down, his throat dry from a moment of no life. Conore stopped and waited for Tails' reply to continue.

Tails then sat down the bottle of water, and nodded to continue.

"We were stuck in a room." Conore lowered his head slightly, "We had almost nowhere to go, Misty was sitting against a door, crying, wishing something would turn her life around, something to kill her, something just to happen and change something. We all weren't sure what to do, until I spotted a vent up on the ceiling that was big enough for all of us to crawl in through.

"Just as I made the attempt of pulling out the cover of it though, the next thing I heard was metal screeching open, and Misty's cry of pain.

"I spun my head around to see Misty was on the ground, grasping her eye, and curled up in a tight ball, as large black claws tore through the metal. The four others told me and Misty to get out, and to escape through that vent, and lastly said that the vent and should lead to the helicopter we came on.

"Quickly Misty and I made it into the vent, and quickly we were able to escape to the helicopter. On our way back, Misty removed her hand from her eye, and the scar she was born with was cut even deeper, and drained out blood so much, it drenched her hands and clothes. We both we so scared, once the copter landed, we scurried to the bathrooms and washed her off. But when I start to turn on the water, I heard her voice merge into a deep snarl.

"Next thing I knew, there stood in front of me, a black mutant, with black eyes with red slits in them, and just the detail was immense, I can't describe what I seen. The scar that went across her left eye though verified that what stood in front of me, was Misty.

"I called for help as loud as I could, able to get guards and scientists to tie her down, and after a half hour of fighting her with our top guards, we were finally able to put her into a short sleep, and quickly started analyzing her.

"It was about twenty minutes later, they forced her into her normal form, and came to me, the boss of N.A.S.I.N.A. walked up to me, and lowered his head in sorrow.

" 'Conore, there's no cure for her. We've tried everything, even our never-before-experimented solutions, and those didn't have any effect on her. There's nothing we can do to annihilate this problem.'

"After talking with the boss for a while, it turns out that the virus that caused the mutation embedded itself in her DNA, and shifted her almost like night and day. She was never so fearless, and so fast, and quick. The moment she woke up, she just leaped to her feet, and just jerked the needles out of her. After we were able to regain her memory, we started to test to see if any changes were made, and results showed that she was much quicker, much smarter, and much stronger than she was before this occurred.

"I remember Misty turned to me with a big smile across her face, 'I actually am happy this happened, I feel more, power-filled than I used to be ever in my life.' Those words were tattooed in my head, and I grasped her tightly, and cried that she was okay, for now.

"Consequently though, one of our friends found out what she became was nothing new. In fact, what she became was used for breeding, and that she had the breeding gene of an ant, and could produce many newborns in a matter of minutes, if properly matched with another type of mutant. The first thing Misty did was faint, and quickly curled back into a ball, twitching a few times. I knew one thing, of all things, she absolutely hated anything that dealt with reproducing, and it's a nightmare to her."

Tails mouth dropped in amazement.

"Due to this, scientists would look for her, and use her for this purpose, since what she is, is extremely rare. So to protect her, N.A.S.I.N.A. removed her and I from the board, but kept us as members, to ensure that she was to never be mentioned to any other corporation. We were also advised to not tell anyone, no matter how close they were to us."

"Which is why you've been secretive." Tails stated, "And you're telling me this, why?"

Conore raised his head, "You're family, you're my brother, and her other cousin, there should be no reason for you not to know."

Tails nodded slightly, "So what you're saying is Misty's…"

"A mutant herself." Conore finished, "And a mix of a certain breed of alien, which I don't want to speak of. Why we know a lot about mutants is because she is one herself, and no one else knows."

Tails sat with blankness in his mind, unable to think of anything to say.

"Do you realize how much money someone would make if they'd find her and turn her in to another corporation needing her type?" Conore asked.

"Millions?" Tails guessed.

"Billions… maybe even trillions." Conore stated, "Due to the fact she's so rare, corporations that need her type will do anything to get her type, even if it means giving up the corporation name itself."

Tails took a big gulp, "Besides that, what would happen if someone were to find out?"

"Three things could happen." Conore answered, "One is she could be shot on sight, two would be to be used for what she is suppose to be used for, and three, to become a military weapon."

Tails then lowered his head, "What would Espio do if he'd found out…"

"He'd probably lose it." Conore said, "He'd forget he was one himself, and never speak to her again, when he knows he needs her more than anyone here."

The doors behind them echoed by the knocks of the others, they both flicked their heads towards the doors, and quickly got up. Conore put back his seat, and Tails went over and unlocked the doors. In them came Sonic tumbling face first onto the floor, sliding a bit from being shoved. Tails quickly stood back and seen Espio stomp in, his claws drawn out and infuriated.

"Espio! Everyone knew this!" Sonic growled, "Weren't you listening before you passed out a few days ago?"

Espio's eyes quickly shifted to the snake-like form, "You should've never touched her!"

Conore quickly ran over and grabbed Espio before the chameleon got a chance to take a shot at slicing Sonic's face, and resisted Espio's jerking around. Quickly Conore then shoved Espio against the wall and pinned him.

"Hey!" Conore snapped, "We all knew, alright! What's done is done! Now get a hold of yourself!"

Sonic then sat up, "Yeah, those hormones that are kicking in are gonna get us all killed."

Espio snarled a little, and jerked again to go after Sonic, but Conore shoved him back against the wall, and scaring Tails away from the wall he stood by. The others then ran in and seen the two in each other's faces.

"Enough!" Conore snarled, then calmed down a little after a few seconds, "That creature that's inside you, if you're not careful of what you do, that could kill you in an instant. So I suggest you get you head out of your ass, and start thinking a little more sensibly."

Conore loosened his grip, and Espio quickly jerked his arms out of the fox's grip, and gave a dark glare, his eyes shifting back to gold.

"I'd start by talking to Misty." Conore advised.

The chameleon stared for a moment, and then walked to the other doorway Conore locked, and unlocked the door, pushing into the hallway on the other side. They all watched as the doors closed, unsure of what to do.

Rouge then spoke, "First it was Sonic, now it's Espio that's become so cold hearted."

Sonic glanced at Rouge, "He's not cold hearted, otherwise he'd have left us here."

Knuckles then sat in a chair by the large window, "Why did this have to happen? I mean, now we're in a war, Espio's not only a mutant, he's also nurturing a mutant inside of him. Tails has a brother, and we all have to put up with the horror everyone will deal with in the future."

Shadow sat on the floor irritated, "This sucks…"

-----------------------

Espio walked down the hallway towards Amy's room, partly furious of Sonic's confession, and partly upset for almost no reason. He found Amy's room, and went to open the door, but before he touched the knob, he heard Amy's voice on the other side of the door.

"Oh my god!" Amy shrieked a little, "Is Espio okay?"

"No." Misty stated briefly, "And not because of that, but because of the pain he's already been through and all, at least I believe."

Espio stood by the door and listened, wondering what they were saying about him. His back leaning against the wall next to the door, and his head against the wall, listening as best as he could.

"I have a question Misty." Amy asked.

"Shoot." Misty said.

"Do you _like _Espio?" Amy asked, "And when I mean 'like' I mean _like _like as a friend, or is it _love _like? Like a boyfriend."

Espio flashed his eyes open, and his heart started to race a little, curious of what her answer was going to be. He actually prayed that it would be that she liked him as in a girlfriend and boyfriend deal.

"I don't know, really." Misty replied with a little whine in her voice, "After being separated for four years? I mean, who knows what could've happened during those years. I might have not seen who he truly is yet."

Espio's heart sank, his mouth slightly dropping a little. He then began to have small flashback images of their childhood together. When they were training to become ninjas, when she saved him from Mince's clutches as a child, when they made the vow, when they first met, they all came in quick but hard.

"I kinda do." Amy said, her voice toning down.

There was a slight pause, it seemed to last forever, and Espio held his breathe.

"Misty, are you okay?" Amy asked.

Espio then got the image of Misty crying, what was wrong?

"Sorta..." Misty said faintly, "I just don't know what to think anymore, I don't know what to say, do, or anything at this moment,, that's it."

"Should I leave you alone?" Amy asked her nicely.

There was another slight pause, then a clicking of Amy's heels neared towards the door. Espio quickly camouflaged himself from Amy's sight, and stood breathless and still, so no one could hear or see him what so ever. Amy then opened the door, and spun around, and shut the door lightly, making sure not to cause any attraction. Espio watched her movements carefully, seeing how close she was to touching him.

Amy stood back a few steps and stared down the hallway, "I might have a chance if she doesn't like him. I'd better talk to him."

Espio gritted his teeth slightly, a bit nerve racked by Amy's comment, and gave a slight glare at her as she walked to the doors with her back turned to him. When she opened the doors, he revealed himself, and opened the door next to him, slipping inside without Amy seeing him. He then closed the door, and spun towards Misty, who sat on the bed, eyes closed and seemed a bit depressed.

Espio sighed a little in distress, "Mist?"

Misty ignored him, and slightly turned her head away.

Espio's heart then sank a bit more, starting to get a bit of pain throb in his chest. He walked over and sat next to her, seeing if she'd move away from him. The hedgehog stayed put, and didn't move, but she kept her head slightly turned.

He grasped her hand, "I'm sorry for all that's happened, and I'm sorry for how I've been acting. It's just…I'm stressed."

Misty then turned her head slightly to him, "I know, it's not your fault. Right now I'm just a bit scared."

Espio faced her, "Of what?"

Misty sniffed a bit, "Not of, for, for you."

Espio raised his head a little, his gold eyes trying to drag her red eyes up to face him, but it didn't quite work. He sighed a little, also feeling a bit scared.

"I wish I could do something to save you." Misty said, looking up slightly.

Espio smiled a little, "Glad to know, to be truthful."

Misty then raised her head up at him, and looked deeply worried, and lowered her head again, and closed her eyes, seeming a bit shy. Espio gripped her hand tightly, hoping to make her head pop back up again.

"I have to ask." Misty said quietly, "But, do you like Amy?"

Espio's smile faded, and turned his head away towards the floor, "Of all people, not really."

Misty raised her head back up in wonder.

Espio turned his head towards her, "Why, do you like me?"

He could see her face change, from the wonder to a slight panic. He wasn't sure if she was about to say yes, or she was amazed that he even asked. But he let his smile crease his face again, attracting her a bit.

Misty smiled a little, "Do you like me?"

It was a signal to Espio, and he closed his eyes, leaned over, and kissed her softly, still holding her hand, and wrapping his curled tail around her leg, showing that he did. Misty sat with a bit of shock in her eyes, she understood that kissing him for the craving and the lust he couldn't bare, but that he actually liked her was a bit of astonishment. Misty then closed her eyes and followed through with the kiss, and leaned a little to ease Espio from leaning so much.

They both then slowly broke, and stared at one another for a moment, their eyes meeting in between, and showed some softness. They both seemed happy, and they both smiled.

Espio lowered his head slightly, "I've forgotten what it was like being with you four years ago. And I've never actually asked myself if you still cared. I'm so sorry."

Misty smiled and pulled her head back, and stared down at the floor, "For a moment, so did I. I miss the old days."

Espio nodded in agreement.

Misty the quickly leaned over and playfully licked his cheek, "We should get with the others, before they panic."

The both stood up, and walked to the door, Misty grabbing the door first. Espio followed behind her, happier than ever, only to be ruined by some pain striking in his stomach. He grunted a little, and caught the wall before the pain struck again only worse; he breathed heavily and quickly, his stomach tying itself in a slight weird knot, and a fluttering feeling against it. It was the feeling like he wanted to throw up a little.

It was the mutant infant he carried, it was torturing him a little, and he quickly hated it.

Misty seen him holding himself against the wall, he smile fading quickly, "Are you alright?"

Espio stood there for a moment, holding his stomach, feeling the creature inside slightly press against him, with a slight kick inside. He growled a little, the image of Mince appearing in his mind made him a bit furious again. Remembering Misty just spoke, he nodded slightly, slowing down his breathing, and the pain fading away.

"Damn mutant." He growled, "Marie explained to me what happens when I feel the pain inside me, and it's just strange."

Misty turned to him, "You're a Serpent Licker Mutant, so I also know."

Espio glanced up at her, "With the whole feeding thing?"

Misty nodded, "I know how that feels."

Espio nodded a little, and pushed himself from the wall, and walked to the door where Misty stood, and caught the door, both exiting the room, and headed back to the waiting room.

-----------------------

"So you're fine Amy?" Sonic asked.

Amy shrugged, "Well, the shock yes, but about other things, no."

"Like you having a slight crush on Espio?" Tails asked, giving Amy a slight glare.

Amy spun around and stared at Tails, while Rouge, Knuckles, Shadow, Sonic, and Conore stared at Amy.

"You like Espio not only because he's cute and strong," Tails smiled a little, "You like him so you can piss of Misty, and make her leave the group, along with that, you think you can put up with Espio's cravings and blood lust, and now, his curse."

Amy glared at Tails wondering how in hell he knew what the other problem was. She turned her head towards Sonic. Sonic smirked a little, chuckling a little; giving the impression of she's stupid to have a crush on him.

"You actually have a crush on him?" Sonic laughed, "You're in for a big catfight with her."

"More like a mutant fight." Tails murmured.

Conore flicked his head over, hearing Tails' comment, and lowered his ears a little. Tails then remembered the promise, and quickly silenced.

Knuckles also heard Tails, "Mutant fight?"

Tails shook his head, "Joke, sorry."

Sonic seen Espio and Misty walk towards the group, and flicked his head over to them, and smiled.

"Nail her yet?" Shadow joked a little.

Rouge spun around and smacked the black hedgehog behind his head, trying to knock some sense into the black hedgehog, and shutting him up. Shadow stared at Rouge, then stared back at the two, wanting a reply.

"We don't need anymore problems Shadow." Rouge growled, "We've got enough."

Amy then stood up, "Yes we do, and we don't need an impregnating bitch here either to cause the other guys to suffer."

Misty smiled a little, "Why do you turn heads so much, you should join O'Neil's pack, you'd make the perfect breeder. You've already got experience."

Rouge then glared over at Shadow, "Now look what you've done you son of a bitch."

Shadow shrugged innocently.

Amy took a few steps forward, "We've already got enough hedgehogs, you can leave now, Espio's gotten enough pain to deal with."

Misty cocked her head a little, "At your age, you shouldn't be stalking, or walking alone in the dark, then none of this would've occurred."

Amy then took a few steps closer, just feet away from Misty, "Well, you then should have never saved Espio in the first place. You're worthless, you're nothing!"

Misty only stared, "You're a teen, start acting like one."

"You're a whore! Now stop sleeping with my boyfriend! And start sleeping with someone else for a change."

She stopped, but glared at Amy, "Which one?"

Amy then couldn't think of anything to say, and only growled at her, stepping back a few steps. Conore gritting his teeth slightly, hoping that they'd stop trying to bitch at one another out. Knuckles then turned and also stared at Shadow, like Rouge, also smacked him behind the head. Shadow let out a slight yelp, and stared at Knuckles oddly.

Misty lowered her ears slightly, "Unless you want Mince you impregnate you again, you'd better start thinking a little more sensibly, and be a bit more mature about things."

Amy growled a little, "Maybe you shouldn't have helped us in the first place."

Misty grinned, "Then you would've been dead a long time ago. Or at least became a useful breeder, like you already proved."

Amy charged at her, gritting her teeth, and wanting to tear her to shreds. Sonic quickly jumped up and grabbed Amy's arms, as she rebelled and squirmed and flopped around, trying to get out of his grip.

"Amy! Knock it off!" Sonic snapped.

Amy calmed down a bit, and Sonic spun her around towards him, his eyes shifting from green to gold. Her face was filled with jealously as she glared at him deadly.

"We've already made enough mistakes." Sonic growled, "No one here has or will walk out of here without a mark on them. Espio especially. If we make one more mistake, it'd probably cost someone's life!"

Amy jerked out of Sonic grip, "It better be hers then."

Misty really didn't see a point of standing around, and turned back around and headed back into the hallway her and Espio came from. Espio watched as she strolled off without fierceness or fear, then flicked his head back around.

Knuckles sighed, "Why did you come back anyways?"

"Besides having a small heart for me." Espio added.

Amy stepped away from Sonic, and stared around seeing their eyes focused on her tightly, with glares mainly.

She shook her head, "That was the only reason."

Sonic slightly nodded, his gold eyes staring at her, "Good."

Amy flicked her head back at him, hearing his stern voice.

"Now you can leave." Sonic lastly said, before going the same direction Misty headed, "There's no reason you should stick around if Espio's already taken."

Amy's eyes flicked wide open, and stood with shock. Having disbelief rolling through her mind. No one spoke; Knuckles and Rouge seemed to have agreed with Sonic's comment. The two brothers really didn't care and just watched. Shadow though seemed clueless of what was going on.

Sonic stopped beside Espio, and got close to him from the side, and whispered, "I can't do anything now, Amy likes you, you do something."

Espio nodded slightly, "Make sure Misty doesn't leave, that's probably what she might do."

Sonic nodded slightly and proceeded to walk.

-----------------------

Misty lay in bed motionless, wanting to just fall asleep, but it was only about one, and then she wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Unless Espio, with his cravings, thinks otherwise.

She sighed, wishing that Amy wasn't around. She honestly didn't hate Amy, nor didn't have anything against her; it was still because of her and Sonic. What surprised her was that Espio, after he was told and kind of broke out in a bit of rage, later on basically forgave Sonic, and continued with life. She doesn't blame Amy for the rage, but taking it out on her for the whole time she was around was just stupid. It was also stupid of her to just come over for Espio; it basically cost her her virginity.

She laughed a little, Amy deserved it.

Sonic then walked into the room and shut the door behind him, "You okay Mist?"

"Yeah." Misty said, "I'm just a bit irritated."

Sonic sat beside her, "I probably won't wake her up when we take off, so she can stay here."

Misty then rolled to her side, "That's just being cruel and deceiving. And once again, cold hearted."

Sonic nodded slightly, agreeing with her, "Yeah…"

Misty shrugged, "But, if you want to, it's a bad mark on you, not me."

Sonic then stared at Misty, "So, how did you save Espio? Which started this friendship."

Misty closed her eyes, "I found him in a cage, and he looked horrid. All the wounds he had. I couldn't resist but to help him. Me, and a few others helped him. Turned out he was to be experimented on about ten minutes after we found him."

Sonic nodded, "What ever happened to Huston?"

"Murdered." Misty said, laying back on her backside, "Supposedly, him and Mince had a deal, and when Huston broke the deal, and started to remind him of his wife, his daughter, and his brother, he went berserk, and killed him."

Sonic then lied beside Misty, "So what about Mince? Who is he really?"

"He was one of the most famous scientists in the world." Misty explained, "Father of a daughter and a happy husband. He was famous for a lot of things. Except one day, he had an accident, which made him mutate, and made his body uncontrollable. When he regained control, he was then given the ability to mutate into the most bizarre of mutants."

"Would that explain his insane mind?" Sonic turned to her.

"No." Misty shook her head, "Huston discovered not only that, but a secret chip that Mellony's mom and him knew about. Seeing that Samiria was very difficult to get to, he lured Mince and his wife, and sent a guard to kill his wife."

Sonic's mouth dropped.

"Mince was furious." Misty continued, "Just before he got the second to mutate to kill him, Huston shot him. The bullet though had a solution that distorted the mind, making Mince's whole personality change. That then started the tragedy."

"And here we are." Sonic growled, "Poor Espio though. I mean, I never knew that it was possible, until now."

Misty turned, "I can't believe I still remember this, but sea horses are that way."

Sonic spun his head and stared at her, "How do you know that?"

"Some fact that has haunted me for the rest of my life." Misty lowered her ears, "I still have nightmares."

Sonic twitched at the thought, "Ech, I know what you mean."

Misty closed her eyes, "If I'm gonna have kids, they'll be adopted. I just can't bear the thought and pain."

"Yeah." Sonic nodded.

Misty then spun her head at Sonic, "You going to say anything?"

"Yeah actually." Sonic stared at her, his eyes green again, "Does Marie know how long Espio's gonna have to deal with it?"

Misty shrugged, "I really don't think so. But if I'd have to guess, same deal with us women, nine months."

Sonic twitched again, "Creepy…"


	19. Demon of Darkness: Demeortris

**Chapter 19: **

**Demon of Darkness: Demeortris**

SinVice Turret is the darkest place anyone could imagine. No sunlight, no light spirits, just pure darkness all the way around, only displaying the darkest of colors that barely shown. Hellhounds guarding the entrance, making sure that if anything was to come their way, they were dispatched to fend them off. Though when a mortal sets foot on the Turret's grounds, they instantly turn dark, and there was no turning back.

With dark creatures flying above, swimming below, and walking all around, it was almost impossible to get into the gates. The gates were cursed with black aurora that covered the bars; the roses surrounding the Turret were pitch black and showed no highlights or shades.

This was the Kiroshioneze of the Dark's home.

Ramaindna strolled the bricked hallways with fury in her eyes, upset about what was done and was wondering why was it done. She spotted the door she was looking for, and kicked the wooden door open, and stomped inside, making Mince leaped and sin around in a bit of shock, and stared at the hedgehog.

Ramaindna growled, "Why did you do it…"

Mince shrugged, "To put a little spice in their lives wouldn't hurt. And besides, Espio needs it."

Ramaindna then grasped Mince's neck and shoved him against the wall, drawing out dark claws from her fingertips, piercing Mince's throat. Her eyes shown brightly with fury, and disliked his comment.

Mince grasped her wrist; "You're only going to get yourself in the same position Espio's in if you continue with this."

Ramaindna gripped tighter, "Try me! You know someone will find out!"

Mince snarled a little, "Why did you help him?"

Ramaindna didn't let go, but loosened her grip and stared, "Who?"

"Sonic," Mince reminded, making his eyes black with red slits, "Why did you try to tell him I was near, and chased me away?"

Ramaindna gripped tightly again, "Cause you're a damn idiot! I didn't want anything done to them except to mutate them, and to impregnate them isn't one of the rules."

A silver knife then stabbed the wall just next to Mince's head that flew from their left. Quickly Ramaindna released Mince and turned towards the doorway.

"Getting it on with her huh?" Hasanik laughed, "I've tried that, she's quite the feisty one."

"Shut up." Ramaindna growled, "What do you want?"

The black chameleon shrugged, "Demeortris is here."

Mince rubbed his neck and stared at the black chameleon, "Thanks."

Hasanik snapped his fingers, and disappeared leaving a trail of black mist behind that faded.

-----------------------

"It wasn't my idea!" Quazaireon snapped, "What makes you think this was my idea? I HATE Mince!"

A black hedgehog with purple markings with about ten quills stood in front of Quazaireon, with shredded ribbons like a mummy wrapped around on all the quills and slotted black eyes. Torn clothing and a dark silver band wrapped around the head, showed he was more than just a demonic hedgehog with black claws.

Demeortris stared at Quazaireon, "I'm not saying this was your idea, I'm just concerned if you appealed of him."

"Well I don't!" Quazaireon snapped, "Not one bit! He already made Espio…"

Quazaireon then quickly realized what he was about to say and silenced.

"Start nurturing a mutant inside of him, like a pregnant woman does?" Demeortris finished.

"Yes!" Quazaireon spoke, "We didn't plan that at all!"

"Don't worry." The hedgehog closed his eyes, "That was actually what I wanted to happen."

Quazaireon jumped, "Am I the only one that doesn't like him? What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing." Demeortris smiled, "I'm actually very interested in his power to mutate. He'll leave quite the mark on Sonic's team when he gets through with all of them. What has he done anyways?"

Quazaireon sighed in disbelief, "Lets see, he raped Amy and Misty, impregnated Espio, and back in the past, he raped a fox named Jared and a wolf named Samiria, killed a fat guy names Huston, made his daughter a mutant. And a lot of other things that I ignored."

Demeortris grinned, "He's perfect."

Quazaireon's mouth dropped, "Are you actually gonna keep him? I hate to be insulting, but you're crazy!"

The demon only laughed.

"I would kill that bastard if he went after Ramaindna! Knowing how he is, gotta do it with every woman on this dman place! And you're the exact same way!" Quazaireon stated fiercely.

Demeortris' eyes flew open and stared past Quazaireon and spotted Ramaindna and Mince walking into the large room.

He smiled and walked over to them, "Beautiful Ramaindna, long time no see."

Quazaireon silenced and turned his head around, and lgared at the two that walked in.

She smiled, "Element Demon Demeortris. It has been long."

The demon then knelt down and kissed her hand out of respect, nipping her slightly for a taste of her blood, it was an Element Demon's way of saying 'I missed you'.

Quazaireon let out a small grunt in irritation, "So we're keeping him?"

Ramaindna flickered her ears up, "What?"

Demeortris then stood, and then faced Mince, "A little less than I expected."

Mince shrugged slightly, "After six years, I wanted to keep hidden."

The demon smiled, "I see."

Ramaindna stared at Demeortris then at Quazaireon, then Mince, and turned back, "So we are keeping him?"

Demeortris wrapped an arm around Mince, and lead Mince towards the center of the room, "So you have the ability to mutate. Mutate into vicious creatures of any choice you desire. Well, what else?"

Quazaireon lowered his ears, "I don't think you want to go that far."

Mince nodded, "Follow Quazaireon's word on that. You don't."

Demeortris grinned, "Well, when you were told you're joining, it had to pass by me first. And seeing that you've got a bit of history with Ramaindna here, and the two lovers Misty and Espio, I see some good use in you."

Ramaindna and Mince stared at him, and then faced each other in confusion. Quazaireon also stared at the two, then back at the demon. The black creature was very temped to ask how he knew, but it was best never to question his power. He was an Element Demon, a fake one though, given the power of the original Element Demon.

Ramaindna faced Demeortris, "Um, we had past history how?"

The black demon smiled at her, "That's for me to know and for you all to find out."

He sat on a chair and leaned back, kicking his feet on the stone table, and examined them all. He waited to see if they had any questions, but no one spoke.

He snapped his fingers, and a silver amulet appeared in air just above his hand, "I presume no one has any complaints?"

The three shook their heads. Though Quazairoen hated Mince, he had no say to kick him out.

"Will do." The demon nodded, and waved the amulet away, and the amulet then floated towards Mince and floated in front of him, "With this amulet, not only are you an official member, you will also have some power of the Dark loaned to you. Make your forms more stronger, much more fatal that they are. The moment you grab the amulet, you are agreeing to serve the Dark until the Dark falls."

Mince didn't hesitate, and grabbed the amulet. Quickly Mince snapped his fingers, and the amulet appeared around his neck, and flickered with some blackness. Both Ramaindna weren't really too sure of the demon's choice, but they had no say. Though Ramaindna was Second hand and Quazaireon was Third Hand and Captain, they had no say over the Element Demons or the Demon Phoenix what so ever.

Demeortris smiled, "Welcome to the Dark. Now, I need to speak to Ramaindna alone."

Mince and Quazaireon nodded, and walked out of the room, shutting the wooden door behind them. Ramaindna stared at the wooden door for a second, then turned to Demeortris, seeing he was scanning her slowly.

He raised his ears a little, "So why did you help Sonic escape from the Dark Fortitude Grounds, like where Espio was sent."

Ramaindna stared at the demon, "It wasn't any part of our plan."

He cocked his head, "You're lying."

Ramaindna stared, "Plus, what happened wasn't suppose to happen at all."

"That was his level five form." Demeortris explained, "You're lucky you didn't do anything to keep him that way."

The female grunted a bit, "Well at least I'm not Mince, or Espio…"

"At least you're not Hasanik." Demeortris stated firmly, "Otherwise, things would happen."

She rolled her eyes and turned her body slightly away, "What do I have to look forward to anyways?"

The demon got on his feet, and stood by her, and set his hands on her shoulders, "Want me to ask you to please me, or to do something for me?"

She turned her head slightly, "What's the question?"

"Would you bring Espio here." He asked, "I want to see him face to face, without curse, and without harm done. I just want to see who's carrying Mince's child."

Ramaindna twitched slightly, "Don't say that. That's sick."

He smiled and chuckled a little, "Sorry my love, but even though he pleased himself with Amy, doesn't mean that it isn't his still. And Espio's the one nurturing it now, showing no shape, but only pain."

Ramaindna couldn't stand the thought of Mince's plan; it seemed too crude, and a bit overboard then what they wanted.

The demon then wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, "I promise to not do any harm to him. Only to see who we plan on protecting more than attacking."

There was a bit of a pause, and Ramaindna really didn't trust the demon, knowing how he is with his lies sometimes, she didn't want to, but she'd rather do it to avoid being nailed by him, she hated demons more than anything, even Mince.

She sighed, "Fine, I will."

Demeortris grinned, and spun her around, "Thank you."

She rolled her eyes, "I guess anytime."

Demeortris then leaned over and kissed her, his fangs piercing her tongue as they twisted in their mouths. The demon pulled her close, making her feeling the slight warmth he released. She really didn't care on what he did, as long as he stopped talking about Espio's condition, she was happy.

And Mince…

He pulled away and grinned with pleasure at her, "Now, go and fetch him for me."

She nodded slightly, and the demon gave one last kiss on her lips, quickly slipping his tongue in her to give a final twist with hers, and then pulled back. Ramaindna sighed a little, then spun around and walked through the wooden door like a ghost. He watched her leave and sat back down and sat his feet back on the bale again, and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of peace in the room.

-----------------------

Espio walked down the hallway looking through every room to find Sonic and Misty, when he opened a fourth door away from the entrance to the waiting room, there lying on the bed was Sonic and Misty staring up at the ceiling. Sonic quickly sprung his legs up and sat up, seeing the chameleon stare at them with a bit of a glare, but not for them.

"Amy's all yours." Espio stated firmly.

Sonic nodded and rolled his eyes slightly, "Whoopee, now to go get murdered by her pink hammer."

Sonic then walked to the door and allowed Espio in, then walked out of the room, leaving Espio and Misty alone once again. Espio stared at Misty for a bit, seeing she didn't move a bit, and walked over to her. She knew he was there, she just didn't want to look, she felt a bit too bored and tired to look. And cold.

He sat on the side of the bed, "Bored?"

Misty nodded slightly, "Yes, and is it just me or is it kinda cold in here?"

Espio nodded, "It is actually kinda cold in here. Air conditioning?"

Misty shrugged.

Espio then lay on the bed beside her, scooting close and grabbing her hand firmly. Misty sat still, staring at the ceiling bored stiff, and wanted to either fall asleep, or do something. She sighed.

Espio closed his eyes, feeling an stimulation rise in his stomach, making his body sweat a little, and breathe heavily, his heart picking up pace. His body grew with this excitement, a lust within him that begged for something.

The craving! It was kicking in!

He grasped Misty's hand tighter, heat passing through from him to her. Misty started to feel the heartbeat inside of Espio beat faster, and the heat he past was growing hot.

She shrugged a little, she was cold, and the lust would kill him if he didn't do something.

"Start rollin'." Misty told him, closing her eyes.

Espio flicked his head over, his eyes snake-like. He didn't falter, and rolled onto her, quickly slipping his tongue in her mouth, and started eagerly to twist with it. He slightly nibbled at her tongue, making it bleed again, and made her flinch a little in pain, the fangs he unsheathed were definitely sharp. As they kissed, Misty sat up, dragging Espio up with her and leaned against the pillow, with Espio on his knees, and gripping her arms with claws revealed, he grew even more desperate, and slipped his hands downward to her sides.

Misty didn't resist, and Espio started to slip his hands underneath her shirt, slowly creeping up to her bra strap.

_Pants stays on, shirt and bra though can come off. _Misty notified Espio through his mind.

Espio then became more eager, and quickly undid the bra strap, the lust for blood very low, but the craving was rising higher, his body wanting more.

-----------------------

Tails sat and read the book, Conore, Rouge, Shadow, and Knuckles spoke with one another, Amy sat in a corner alone and kept her head on her knees with eyes closed, and Sonic sat and looked through the large window that Tails sat under. Wondering what was going to happen next, was all a mystery; no one knew what was to happen next, not even Misty. It was definitely a long day, and it was still one two thirty. He was growing really bored, unable to stand staying in the building until tomorrow was painful for him.

He actually wished he were in Espio's position than what position he himself was in. Besides gaining the ability of transformation, nothing else really happened that kept his mind going.

He yawned, and continued to stare out towards the forest that trouble lurked.

Tails glanced up, "Bored?"

Sonic nodded slightly, "Oh yes…"

Tails shrugged, "Read that book you got. The Darkaria book you were given."

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Except that, I'll read it later."

Tails sighed, "Did you know a Serpent Licker Mutant also follows under the moon?"

Sonic looked down at Tails, "Huh?"

Tails put his thumb in the book and closed it, "Espio's a Serpent Licker Mutant, right? Well, what I read in here was they're also like werewolves; they also shift on a full moon. But not into a Ware."

Sonic slouched, "Just what I needed."

Tails shrugged, "Just something to remember. Next full moon is twenty nine days from today."

Tails then opened the book back up and continued reading. Sonic continued to stare out the large window, feet on the frame of the window, and felt like falling asleep at any given moment.

A black bird then flew put from the forest, and circled the sky for a few seconds. Sonic watched the bird from his chair, wondering if it was the same bird that chased off Mince. The bird then dove towards the window, and came to a short landing on the ground outside. The blue, red and purple that it reflected, it was the same bird!

Sonic sat up and watched the bird's movements, it walked on the ground for a bit, it's head poking forward with every step, graceful steps it took, the long black tail feathers that shown bluish and purple against the sunlight like pearl paint on a car. The closed wings showed red and purple combined like the tail feathers of blue and purple, and the head was just black with a tint of red on the head. It poked around the ground, scanning the scenery, and scanned the building, and spotted Sonic.

It stopped and stared at Sonic with dark eyes, also revealing a very thin line across the left eye, like a scar. The two examined one another, knowing they've seen each other before, but only one knows who the other is, while the other doesn't know who the one is. Sonic was curious why it helped him sort of, and why it was trying to warn him of Mince.

It gave a squawk that Sonic could barely hear through the glass, and ruffled its feathers, then spun towards the forest and flew off, taking off gracefully. Sonic watched as it departed, seeing the black altered with the three other colored as it flapped its wings, and felt a calm feeling take over, worry draining away from his body like rain.

Doors opened from another hallway, and Marie, Aaron, and Mellony walked in. Marie held a large rolled up paper that looked like a map. Quickly he sprang to his feet and stretched a little.

Marie went over to the table in the middle of the room; "Okay I found a path for you guys to get out of here."

Tails quickly slapped the book shut and carried it with him. The others spun their heads and started to walk over, Amy sat in the corer still, knowing she wasn't going with the others, but listened carefully.

Marie unrolled the map, and set books on it to hold the corners from rolling back up. The map displayed a part of the area they were in, with light greens and blue, and distinct lines that showed trails, rivers, highways, and cities.

Their heads crowded to the table, and Marie examined to see who was around.

Sonic knew she was going to notice, and didn't bother saying anything yet.

Marie raised an eyebrow, "Where's Misty and Espio?"

Their heads turned to Sonic.

Sonic shrugged, "I ain't goin and getting' them, they'll know."

Marie sighed, "Okay, here's the plan."

She slid her finger on the map and pointed to a town, "Here's where we are, now the path that heads northwest here," She then moved her finger across the map, following the pathway that curved a little to the right, "Mince is going to expect you guys to continue right, and that path started going zig and zaging around, until you finally curve a sharp left, which brings you to this town here."

They seen the town she pointed at was called Inchigo Civic, and seen that highways expanded greatly from that dot.

Conore then glanced up, "That's Inchigo Base."

Marie stared at Conore, "Yes, and?"

"Didn't an accident occur there a few years ago?" Conore lowered his ears, "it was one of the most powerful military bases, and was also home to some of the most greatest scientists. My corporation was very close to that base; we were practically all one corporation combined, just in separate places. Our experiments were sent there."

Sonic then jumped, "Scientists! Experiments! No no no! We ain't gonna have a relapse of what just happen to Espio to happen on one of us again! Like we're going there!"

Marie stared, "Yes, you are, and you won't have a relapse of what happened, trust me."

Sonic leaned back over, irritated, "Continue."

"There's a underground shortcut that was built about twenty years ago." Marie explained, "This small town we're in was an emergency shelter for the Inchigo workers, so they built this underground shortcut to get away faster and be hidden from anything that was outside waiting for them. Mince doesn't know of this pathway."

She pointed back to where the path curved right, and stroked her finger right through the green, "This pathway heads straight to the Base's escape center, Lighter agreed to fly over and pick you guys up and head to Night City."

They all nodded except Tails, who raised his finger up, "One question. When was the last time someone's used it?"

"About two years ago I believe." Knuckles remembered, "I heard about that, they said a SWAT team was assembled to infiltrate the base for anything alive. No one returned."

They all then stared at Knuckles with glares.

"Thanks a lot Knux." Rouge growled, "Glad to know we could possibly die now."

Shadow shrugged, "But it was two years ago. We don't know if anything's alive there now."

"Exactly." Aaron finally spoke, "That's why we need Espio and Misty out here."

Mellony then turned towards Conore and grinned slightly, "And Miss Prower here."

Conore glared at Mellony, "I thought we talked about that already?"

Mellony laughed, "I still can't get over it, after being told by Misty a lot, it's just so amusing."

Conore rolled his eyes.

Aaron turned to Sonic, "Go get them will ya?"

"Sonic glared at Aaron, "No, I won't."

Knuckles sighed, "Fine, I'll get them myself. Stubborn hedgehog."

Sonic then quickly tripped Knuckles as he started walking, and made him fall on a chair, and tipping over, smacking his head on the floor hard. Sonic quickly pulled his foot back towards him and stared down at Knuckles.

"Seeing how clumsy you are, what's the point?" Sonic shrugged innocently.

Rouge then spun around and smacked Sonic's head, "Go and get them damn it!"

Sonic turned and stared at Rouge, "Fine, I will."

Sonic then spun around and started walking towards the doors, purposely stepping on Knuckles' legs, and making the echidna yelp a little. Sonic then open the hallway doors and entered.

He then stood by the doors as they shut, and closed his eyes.

_Um, Misty?_

He waited.

_Ow! Um, Sonic, now's not the time._

Sonic lowered his ears a little.

_Mist, if I don't get you two out of the room soon, everyone is, and you know how awkward it'll be when everyone sees you topless._

Sonic smiled a little in amusement.

_Okay, that wasn't funny Sonic, cause I am topless right now! No shirt nor bra!_

Sonic raised his brows a little.

_Hehehe, cool._

Sonic started walking towards the doors.

_No it's not! Especially with a horny chameleon on ya unable to get off you ya because of a stupid craving. How much time?_

Sonic stopped again.

_Fifteen seconds, and counting._

He started walking again.

_WHAT? Ack! Give us twenty._

Sonic stopped by the room.

_Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five four, three, two, one, coming in._

Before he could open his eyes again, he heard a loud thump on the other side of the door, and wondered if maybe he rushed them a bit too much. He then opened the door slightly and peaked inside.

The door then jerked open, and the door pulled in Sonic. Loosing his grip, he collapsed to the floor face first, and lied on the floor, thinking he just landed on a tack in his cheek on the floor.

"You have to come and kill us both huh?" Espio snarled slightly.

"I think I just got stabbed with a thumbtack." Sonic muffled a little.

"Hmph." Espio grunted, then walked out.

Sonic pushed himself up and sat on his knees, feeling a tingling pain on his cheek. He spotted Misty, in her fox form under the bed.

"Is there a tack on my cheek?" Sonic asked.

"Eeno." Misty tried speaking.

Sonic stared, "Are you okay?"

Misty rolled her eyes, "My yongue yis yum. Yanks to Yespiosh yite."

The fox then poked out her tongue, and a bite mark was in her tongue dribbling blood that tainted her tongue from the wetness. Sonic stared at her and then began to laugh.

"Hahaha!" Sonic laughed, "Sucks to be you."

"Yut up..." Misty growled.

Sonic felt around on his cheek and found it was only a small paper clip that poked a little, and stuck to his face like a smashed fly. He pulled it off and stared at it.

"You could've told me it was a paperclip." Sonic stared at her.

Misty growled slightly, then walked out from underneath the bed, and walked out the door, her tongue hanging out.

"Yish yat you yolsh yo ysho yell." Misty growled slightly, still trying to speak with her numb tongue.

Sonic continued to laugh, and followed Misty out.

They walked out of the room and walked to the waiting room, where they then stared at Misty and Sonic awkwardly, Shadow especially.

Sonic pointed down at Misty, "Thanks to Horny thar, her tongue's numb now, so she can't speak."

Espio rolled his eyes.

Marie then walked over and knelt down in front of Misty, seeing the large pierce mark, dribbling blood from her tongue.

"Give it five minutes." Marie said, shoving Misty's tongue back in her mouth, and closing her fox jaw closed.

Misty stared at Marie strangely, swishing her tongue clean in her mouth, still unable to feel her tongue.

"Hehehe." Sonic laughed, watching Misty shift to her hedgehog form, fully clothed, "Get bitten in any other places?"

Misty then quickly spun around and smacked Sonic across the face, making the small mark on his cheek from the clip hurt even more.

The others then laughed hysterically, imagining Epsio and Misty together. The two sighed, and wished that they didn't go past the bra.

-----------------------

It was seven, and night was finally drawing near. They all slept in pairs and shared the room if they chose, except for three. Misty, Espio, and Sonic in one, Conore and Tails in another, Aaron and Rouge, Knuckles and Shadow, Mellony and Marie, and Amy got her own room.

Sonic sat on the side of the bed and stared out at the window, "So, what's gonna happen when we hit Inchigo?"

Misty shrugged as she locked the room's door, "Dunno really. Just hope to get out in one piece."

Espio nodded, as he lay in bed, holding his stomach, "I don't blame ya."

Sonic turned his head to the chameleon and stared, "Can't shake the feeling can't ya?"

Espio then stared down at his stomach and rubbed it a little, "I don't think I will ever in my life, even after it's born."

Misty twitched, "Can we not talk about that, it's kinda creepy, and it's making my stomach go into knots."

Espio stared at Misty, "You'd be doing the same thing."

Misty sighed and started taking off her shirt, "Well at least I'm not you."

Sonic sighed, "we feel for ya, I just have to ask though."

Espio turned to Sonic, with the expression of nothing is to be hidden.

"What does it feel like?" Sonic lowered his ears.

Espio stared back down at his stomach, "Weird, really weird, until the pain kicks in, then it hurts like a bitch."

Misty turned to Sonic; "It's basically glued literally to Espio's stomach, and only moves when a slight growth spurt occurs. It's really small though, so Espio doesn't take any shape."

Espio slouched a little, "Thankfully…"

Sonic nodded, "Wasn't that the same way when Amy was in the same condition?"

"Yes." The both said.

Sonic closed his eyes, "Weird."

Espio then closed his eyes, "You feel the weight, and you feel it rub against the skin, it's really weird."

Misty then turned her back towards the two guys and removed her bra, "Definitely."

Sonic then lay in bed beside Espio, "Does it kick?"

Espio nodded, "Hurts too."

Misty then grabbed her shirt and put it back on, "It shouldn't. Unless it's still trying to adjust."

They shrugged, and watched her.

Misty stared, "What?"

Sonic shrugged, "Nothin'."

Misty then snapped her fingers, and in replacement of her black pants, black shorts appeared, and she crossed her legs slightly as her put her hands back, and stared up.

"I know one thing," Sonic said, also looking up at the ceiling, "This'll be one twisted journey."

The all nodded in agreement.

Sonic then turned over to Misty, "Can we see some boob?"

Misty glared at Sonic, "No."

"But you'll be sleeping topless."

"No I'm not." Misty lastly said, and dug herself under the covers.

Espio also put himself under the covers, and scooted close to Misty.

Sonic stared, "Fine, I'll get the light."

Misty snapped her fingers, making the lights flash off, and tossed her shirt aside over Espio, and on top of Sonic's black vest, "No need."

Sonic sat blankly, then got under the covers, and also scoot close to Misty.

Misty laid silently for a second, then sighed, "Um, okay, a bit too much heat..."

Espio then wrapped his arm around her, "Can't help it."

Sonic laughed a little, "It's so fun to torture you."

Misty turned and nipped Sonic's ear.

"Ouch!" Sonic yelped a little.

"Just a good night greeting." Misty smiled.

Sonic rolled to his side, "Night…"

Misty rolled to her side and faced Espio, and wrapped her arms around him, "You okay?"

Espio nodded slightly, "Oh yeah, especially with you around."

Misty smirked, "Not with Sonic here."

Espio grinned and kissed her on the lips, "Just a little?"

Misty shrugged, "If you want."

The chameleon the pulled her closer, their bodies rubbing against one another, and heat being passed between them. Espio then kissed her again, and slipped his tongue inside her mouth, and as she slipped in hers, he unsheathed his fangs slightly, and pierced her tongue again for the blood.

Sonic sighed in annoyance, hearing Espio groan in pleasure. He hoped he'd get some sleep soon before he himself became horny.

-----------------------

"So how's that book coming?" Conore asked his bro.

Tails smiled slightly, "Very useful, I never knew Shadow-Backs were very picky though. Kinda funny too when you think about it."

Conore nodded, unzipping his vest, "Basically because of the race's population, it's very low."

Tails nodded, "Is Mellony a Shadow-Back?"

"No, but a relative." Conore stated, taking off his white shirt, "She's a Majestic Moonlight."

"And Aaron?"

"Also a Majestic Moonlight." Conore nodded.

Tails then turned, "What about our mom and dad?"

Conore stopped, and was instantly quiet, not willing to answer Tails' question.

Tails cocked his head, "Conore?"

Conore sighed, "They were both Shadow-Backs. Which is why you are also one."

Tails then sat on his bed, "You…don't like to talk about them?"

Conore lowered his ears and jumped onto his bed, and sat cross-legged, and put his hands on his cheeks, and elbows on his knees, "I never did, and our dad basically humiliated the Prower name. So I changed my last name to Wakison to hide it."

Tails nodded slightly, "How come no one mentioned that?"

"You were only three days old." Conore closed his eyes, "Unless they see that small scar under your right arm there, they'd never even know you were that same child."

Tails blinked, and looked at his arm, seeing that the small scar deepened, growing more visible than the last time he seen it.

"Every day it grows deeper," Conore explained, "More visible to the naked eye, until the day you shift. A Shadow-Back's scar is always put on under the right arm, others put it anywhere else they desire, but the Shadow-back's signature scar is always on that arm in that particular place."

Tails grunted slightly, and got under his covers, "Great…"

Conore watched as Tails tucked in, "Get use to it bro, you'll be surprised after you shift what changes could occur. You could be more defensive and a lot more picky than you think."

Tails sighed, "Kinda like oyu?"

Conore rolled his eyes, "I guess."

The older fox then snapped his fingers, and his body glowed white for a few second, changing shape a little into a smaller blob lying on the bed. When the glow faded though, in Conore's place, was a tanish wolf with blck markings streaming his back, legs, and tail, and laid on the bed about ready to fall asleep.

"Ack!" Tails yelped, "Wolf!"

The wolf turned to tails, "It's me, Conore. No big deal."

The voice was identical to Conore's voice, and Tails stared at the wolf strangely, "Seriously?"

"When you shift," Conore explained, "You'll also gain the ability to turn into an actual wild wolf. It's very useful too once you get used to it."

Tails stared, "No to decided whether to be overjoyed or scared. Night..."

-----------------------

"So how long have you been single?" Rouge asked the wolf.

Aaron shrugged, and started speaking with a slight Australian accent, "For life really. Course I came from a tribe with the strangest of rules and rituals. You basically had to dance to get a wolf's appeal to you, not knowing they could be another male."

Rouge turned and stared at him with a pink T-shirt on with a small heart in the middle, "That sucks."

Aaron nodded, setting down his shirt beside the bed, and sat on the side of the bed.

Rouge then noticed his accent, "Like how you speak by the way."

Aaron smiled, "Ah, it's from the tribe. But thanks mate."

Rouge laughed a little, sitting down on the bed with short shorts, "You need to use that accent more often."

Aaron turned to Rouge; "You'd be surprised how much I can annoy Mellony with it too."

"Heh, what about the others?"

"Misty loves it, and Conore really doesn't care." Aaron said, getting under the covers, "Thanks for letting me share with you."

Rouge smiled and also got under the covers, "No, thank you. You saved me from Shadow. I though feel a bit bad you're not coming."

Aaron shrugged, "I'm thinking about it, I just said that to make you all happy, but it didn't quite work."

-----------------------

Everyone else was fast asleep, with midnight striking within the night, no one was awake, but was in the stage of dreaming. The air wasn't disturbed by anything, not even a fly that would attempt to bump into the glass from outside. No one had trouble sleeping, not even Amy, not even Espio.

A slight chill slithered through the air, a black mist creeping through the door's sealing into the threesome room, where Sonic, Misty, and Espio slept in peace.

As the mist entered the room, it quickly took shape, and Ramaindna walked through the mist, with a slight wind blowing the black misty away, and chilling the room's air even more. She walked with no noise, her breathing not heard, nor the sounds of her heels and slacks clicking and rubbing. She pondered over next to Espio, and leaned against the wall, and stared at him for a bit, she really didn't want to bring him to the SinVice Turret, but neither wants to become a wife of Demeortris, and carry his child.

She sighed a little, and muttered to herself, "I am sorry to do this, and I am sorry for what has been done already."

She flicked her head around to see if anyone was watching, or anything, seeing nothing, she leaned over and lightly traced a S, a V, then a T with her middle fingernail on Espio's cheek, making the letters glow blue, and shine only in her eyes. She then stood back up and stared at him, and snapped her fingers.

-----------------------

The demon-hog sat with ease, waiting patiently for Ramaindna's return, and waited for her to bring with her Espio. He took a deep breath and watched the doorway for a bit, seeing that the door wouldn't let any sign of anything coming to him. He closed his eyes and listened.

The door then banged open; making the demon flick his eyes open and glare at the intruder that made the door smack against the brick wall with an echo following it. There stood a light blue hedgehog with green markings and purple eyes that shifted to a blazing red of fury, with dark clothing, and the signature of a demon-hog, a longer tail with a feathered tip.

The hedgehog stomped in, "You brought in MINCE? How could you? Of all people!"

Demeortris sat back up and lowered his feet from the table to the floor, and stared at the demon-hog, "Zephyra Legorono, you've returned."

Zephyra grunted, his eyes continued to blaze red, "I'm gone for a month to find that Mince now joins our team? This is when I get pissed! Him and I basically have a bounty on each other's heads!"

Demeortris raised his hand and silenced the demon-hog, "You both may be mutants, but means you're a demonic mutant, doesn't give you any right to try and threaten Mince to his death."

Zephyra growled, "Well it doesn't give him any right to mess with my prey! Since when was he assigned to torture? That's my job!"

Demeortris rolled his eyes, "He wasn't, he hasn't been signed anything at all."

"Then what is he suppose to be?" The demon-hog stepped forward.

"The bulb that goes into the socket." Demeortris stated, "The bolt that goes through the washer, he's already making Espio suffer."

Zephyra stared, "You mean the stick that goes into the hole? You have a sick mind."

He smiled, "We all do. You're the brother of the now-chameleon Topaz."

Zephyra grunted a little, "At least no one knows, yet."

Demeortris waved him out, "Go, Quazaireon needs you."

The demo-hog's red eyes the shifted to purple, his normal eye color, and his green markings started to glow slightly.

He nodded, "Ramaindna's here by-"

The door then banged open and smacked the demon-hog's back, and knocked him over onto the worn, gray, brick floor. There stood Ramaindna, holding Espio's wrists behind him with her telekinesis, as the chameleon tried fighting against her, snarling at his worst.

She then stepped in, not knowing that she smack Zephyra; "Here's Espio, happy?"

Zephyra then stood up, and stared at her, "No, thanks to you."

The female spun her head and faced him with a bit of a stunned look, "Zephyra?"

The light blue and glowing green hedgehog then spun and walked out the door.

Demeortris then used his telekinesis to shut the door behind the two, and stood up, "So this is the one?"

She nodded, "Careful he's a-"

Espio spotted the demon, and snarled, his eyes turning instantly snake like, and one of his Serpents shot from his stomach, aiming at Demeortris's face, just before Ramaindna could finish. The demon only smiled, and raised his hand, making the Serpent's movement stop just before reaching the demon's hand, forcing the Serpent to close its mouth. He then flicked his hand towards the snakehead, and the creature then retracted back into Espio's stomach, and made the chameleon screech a little in severe pain, his inside feeling like it was being stabbed again and again.

Ramaindna then decided to finish, "Serpent Licker Mutant..."

Demeortris smiled, and walked to Ramaindna, "Thank you."

She growled a little, "Never again."

The demon gave a small kiss to her, and then waved her away. Ramaindna glared at him slightly, then turned and walked through the door. Espio was then released from her telekinesis, and he collapsed to the ground, gripping his stomach tightly and curled in a tight ball while on his knees. The demon then walked beside Espio, and started to examine him, seeing the chameleon was a teen, and seeing that he was attempting to mutate, but was having difficulty, because of Demeortris' presence, he couldn't, it was like a force was keeping the chameleon contained.

He kneeled in front of him, "A Serpent Licker Mutant. Carrying an ultimate weapon. You are valuable."

Espio raised his head slightly, "Who are you?"

Demeortris grinned, "I am Demeortris, Element Demon of Darkness, and I'm of the leader of the seven."

Espio's eyes flicked up and stared, "You're the Fake Element Demon!"

He smiled, "So you know of what I am? I'm not very surprised if you ask me."

Espio's stomach then started hurting again, pain making him howl loudly and forced tears from his eyes. He could feel the thing inside him move frantically as he held his stomach, feeling the bastard's head push inside, and making the pain even worse. Espio then collapsed to his side, and flopped around on the floor, gripping the brick floor with his right hand and tried with all his might to fight the pain.

The demon only grinned, "The pain you feel will live within you as long as that mutant infant lives within you. And since you're around me, the pain grows stronger, and making the mutant grow even faster."

Espio couldn't take the pain and curled back into a ball, the pain that tortured him then spread throughout his body, like he was shifting into a werewolf, he could feel his muscles bulge, begging to break from his skin. His breathing grew short, and he could barely breathe, and gasped for air violently, his claws scraping the floor in agony, and the want for help.

Demeortris then felt satisfied, and his eyes flashed purple, making the pain in Espio stop, and making the creature inside him stop frolicking inside him. Espio gasped for the air he lost, and laid almost lifeless, wishing this was just a nightmare. The demon circled him, his snake-like eyes staring down at him with mockery as the chameleon begged for no more pain.

The demon laughed, "The pain you feel will not only be of the infant's torture, but mine as well, and like I said, it will come if I want it to torture you."

The chameleon let down tears in his eyes, the pain was just too much for him, even though he didn't feel any for now, he could still imagine how much worse it was going to be.

The demon smiled, "That infant is like a indicator, a signal to let us know exactly where you're at, what you're thinking, what you're doing, and what you're saying. There's no escape from our sight Espio, you're our little spy cam until the infant is born, and you become more of use in the future."

Espio was finally able to gain the strength to get onto his knees, and pushed with all of his might to his knees, his arms shaking greatly with weakness. He could still feel the bastard in him slightly flipping around, but it wasn't hurting, it was just an indication it was there. He growled silently in anger.

"When will it be born then.' Espio growled, holding his stomach with his arms.

Demeortris started to laugh a little, "In three months."

Espio froze with shock, and stopped breathing deeply.

"You see Espio." The demon explained, "It starts like any mother, nine months, but for you, every time I'm near, when you fall into Mince's hands, or when Quazaireon curses you, the time shortens, and makes that infant grow even faster, because of the dark energy it gets. Since I helped, it's now eight months, and soon, it'll be narrowed down to three…"

Espio glared at the demon, "What if it was taken further?"

The demon stopped and grinned at him, "Then not only will it be born a lot sooner, you'll also be of some use a lot sooner. And so will that hedgehog friend of yours…"

Espio started to snarl, "You stay away from her you hear? She's mine alone! And no one will take her but me!"

Demeortris then grinned bigger, and chuckled deeply with amusement, telling Espio he just gave him an idea.

The black and purple marked demon stared down at him, "I will make you a deal then."

The chameleon grabbed the table, and pulled himself and sat on it, watching the demon carefully while holding himself with his right arm around the stomach, still able to feel the infant in him.

He stopped, "I can get rid of the infant in you forever, but you have to do me and Mince some pleasure with Misty along side with you. And along with that, you surrender that Watch of Cursed Time, and the two Chaos Emeralds you have."

Espio growled, his eyes turning snake-like, "I'd rather keep the damn thing, and make you two suffer from the lack of pleasure, than have her and I suffer."

The demon the walked over and stood just feet away from him, "Let me give you an idea on how much pain will come, when it'll be born."

The demon's eyes turned a slight red, and within the second, Espio's stomach jolted with pain so immense, it was like putting himself through a saw and cut his limbs off. The infant didn't frolic, but it pressed against his stomach with what felt like claws, and the pain doubled, feeling also slight nibbling just underneath his skin, and begged for freedom. Espio collapsed back onto the stone floor, and howled with intensity, his whole body in a state of shock, and could bare stand to breathe for air. He lay on his side partly curled up; tears streamed down his face, and couldn't stand it.

Demeortris' eyes then flickered purple again, and the pain quickly ended, leaving Espio motionless again.

The demon turned his back towards Espio, "Remember, you're at eight months due, you'll show no shape, no emotional changes, only pain. And we'll be watching your every move, and the other's as well that stand around you Espio. There's no escape!"

Espio curled up even more, and begged to be back in bed, tears continuing to stream across his face as he cried for help.


	20. Blood Lovers and Bloody Fighters

**Chapter 20: **

**Blood Lovers and Bloody Fighters**

Espio lay in bed almost dead, still fast asleep, and made Misty and Sonic wonder if he was still alive.

Misty shrugged slightly, and leaned over Espio, and turned his face a little, and kissed on his lips gently, hoping to wake him up this way. In a few seconds, the chameleon responded, and turned over, and put his hands on her cheeks, and also started to kiss back, feeling tranquility running through him again. They sucks on each other's tongues, Misty mainly giving him the pleasure he needed to start the day, and get moving.

The hedgehog then pulled back, and Espio opened his eyes, and stared up at the ceiling blankly, "We're still at the urgent care, right?"

Sonic rolled his eyes and spoke with sarcasm, "No Espio. We're in a dark room filled with evil mad creatures that are about to turn us into robots."

Espio then remembered what happened last night, and jumped a foot off the bed, and almost fell off the bed just remembering.

"Oh shit!" Espio yelped.

The two hedgehogs stared, Sonic sighed, "I was just joking Espio."

"No!" Espio growled at the blue hedgehog, "I know how many months I have!"

"I thought it was nine." Misty stared.

"No! Three!" Espio panicked.

Misty then jumped a foot away, "WHAT?"

"But that's not even when the thing is a fetus yet!" Sonic waved his arms, "How do you know that?"

Espio blinked and stared, "I don't know if I was dreaming or not, but this thing named Demeortris, a Fake Element Demon said that I had that much time."

Misty stared at the chameleon, "Demeortris? You mean the Demon of Darkness Demeortris?"

Sonic turned, "Huh?"

Misty covered her mouth, "That was no dream. When Demeortris says something, it's serious! With no doubts or lies!"

Sonic turned to Espio, "Dude, I feel so sorry for you right now."

Espio flopped back onto the bed, "What are we going to do?"

Misty shrugged, "Live with it for now, but right now, we need to get going."

Espio sighed a little, and got out of the bed, and gave Misty one swift kiss on the lips, and walked out the door while being followed by the two hedgehogs.

---------------------

"MINCE!" Quazaireon barked.

Mince jumped a little, falling asleep on his desk with a pencil in his hands and papers, files, and photos all around him shaking slightly from his jump.

Quazaireon stared, "You slacker…"

Mince turned and faced the dark creature with a glare, "I was working, so what's to blame?"

"You not telling me something," Quazaireon mentioned, "why did you not tell me that you and Zephyra knew each other?"

Mince stared, "I don't, the only thing we know about one another is we're both mutants, but I'm more superior than he is."

"And more crazed." The creature reminded, "You both are after Misty for a reason, mainly to not be alone, but that's beside the point. Why can't you just go die in a hole or something?"

Mince rubbed his head, "Cause I can't, I'm practically immortal, I can't age or die."

Quazaireon stared, "Sure you are, like every mutant's suppose to be that way."

Ramaindna then walked into the room, and leaned against the doorway, "Quazaireon…"

The creature turned to her, "What?"

She gestured her head towards the hallway, and stared at him with a deadly glare. The creature said nothing, and walked out of the room, his tail leaving a trail of a very transparent mist behind of black and purple, a sign saying he was planning on something.

The female then stepped inside and shut the door behind her, and stared at the chameleon, "So, let me ask again. Why did you do it?"

Mince stared up at her, "Do what?"

She stared, "Why did you impregnate Espio? You weren't made an official member until last night. Why did you do it?"

The chameleon sighed a little and turned towards his notes, "It was pleasing to me, and like i said earlier, to spice up their lives a little."

The hedgehog rolled her eyes, "Of course."

Mince then stared back at her, "And again, why are you trying to protect them?"

Ramaindna's eyes then flickered a dark blue, "That's for me to know."

Mince then grinned, "Oh really?"

Her ears went up in alert, and quickly knew what he was thinking, and she didn't like it at all.

The chameleon stood up, "The reason why you're defending them is because somehow, one of them resembles your loss, and all that you've done, all that you did that's been shaded from that person."

She glared, "How would you know?"

He smiled, and his eyes turned black with red slits, "Oh I know through many ways."

The hedgehog wasn't scared, but was starting to get annoyed by his words that ran out from his mouth. She started to step towards him, and gripped her fists tightly; ready for anything that he was planning to throw at her.

She smiled, "I'm sure your wife would know also."

Mince's face quickly turned from an evil grin to amazement, and his eyes shifted back to normal.

He growled, "How dare you…"

She turned where her side faced him, "Oh I dare my friend."

He arched his back slightly, "unless you want to end up like Huston six years ago, you'd better start running…"

She smiled, "If you can catch me."

The chameleon snarled, and his eyes turned back to the black with red slits, and he was willing to leap at her. Ramaindna only continued to smile, for she knew that that was the way to really piss him off. She then came with an idea to see how serious he was when it came to pleasure.

She turned back to him, "How desperate are you?"

The chameleon started to walk closer, "About what?"

She laughed a little, "About the lovin', touchin', the whole works?"

He stopped, and continued to glare, "What game are you playing at?"

She shrugged, "Well, since we are desperate for a breeder, I could be of some use."

Mince stared, "Why would you offer?"

She grinned, continuing with her scheme, "Maybe I'm looking for some pleasure myself, but not from a demon…"

The chameleon's eyes then shifted back to normal, and he straightened up, and continued to stare, "You're not that type though."

She laughed again a little, "Oh yes I am Mince, I'm just picky on my partner."

Mince then walked to her, his eyes examining her up and down, "But why are you seducing me? I maybe very needy, but, why?"

She shrugged, "Is experimenting illegal?"

There was a bit o a silence that filled the air, and Mince stopped right in front of her, seeing if she'd move. The hedgehog didn't move, she smiled at him alluringly with her red eyes, hoping to see if her little trick would work.

The chameleon took a step back, "Would the demon appeal?"

"Ha!" She laughed, "Of course he would, anything that dealt with breeding was fine with him, he'd sell his own wife to three hundred men to breed one fifty. Simple as that, though he stands alone."

Mince smiled, "In that case…"

She tensed a little, ready to piss him off and play with his craving, and was ready for anything that was to come here way. She felt the chameleon's mutated hands grasp hers, and felt the heat he passed within the space between them as he drew her close, and quickly pressed his lips with hers. It was a bit amazing to her, seeing how Mince could be creepy at times; the kiss was just deep, and addicting. She felt his hands slide on her arms to her back, being held in his arms loosely, and feeling his tail wrap around her legs.

She then realized that her trick was to fake it, and disappear from his attempt, and see if he'd act desperate and beg for her usage. She was about to break, but when the chameleon slipped in his tongue, it was unbearable and even more addicting, she couldn't break it. To her, this was like a cigarette addiction, only this is more seducing, and was like candy to her. She loved it.

_Damn it! She growled in her mind, Next time, the second before he kisses is when I disappear, not just as he's kissing. This is so fucking addicting, and oh, oh my god. Is this why Misty couldn't escape? And I promised myself to never do anything like this…I can't resist this…Oh god, oh Mince, keep it coming, please…_

She then put her arms around him, and twisted tongues with him, falling under his spell of seduction, and couldn't resist, it was like cat and catnip, can't resist it. She felt his claws slowly start to trace down her back, and came towards the front. He then grabbed her black belt, and started to unbuckle it. Her mind though just shifted, shifted into a side that begged for more, and couldn't control it, she wanted this to go further.

_Oh yes, all the way…_ She begged in her head.

Mince slowly drug down her slacks and thong, breaking the kiss and start to suck on her neck, and biting her slightly for some blood. She moaned slightly in pleasure, and closed her eyes, feeling his fangs bite her, and turned them both on. The chameleon then lightly pushed her to the wall, and pressed against the hedgehog to pass the heat he contained, and started to kiss her on the lips again, and start to unbuckle his pants. He stopped from pleasing himself to her neck, and the intercorse that they both begged for started, and both moaned with more pleasure as he held her adn she was pressed against the wall even harder. Their breathing grew heavier and heavier, the heat shared between them growing hotter and hotter, and thei bodies rubbing against each other as Mince pressed himself against her. She graped him tighter and tighter as he pushed harder and harder, making them both moan even louder and louder, and they didn't want to stop.

_Oh god! Yes! Oh Mince! _She cried in her mind with pleasure.

---------------------

"Why do I have to scout?" Shadow stared at the group.

"Cause at the moment, you're the idiot." Rouge reminded, "Ever since you've been turned into a mutant, your personality's been like Charmy's, stupid and childish."

"Now GO!" Knuckles snarled.

Mellony quickly walked in, "No need!"

They turned their heads, "Huh?"

Mellony smiled, "There's absolutely no sign of Mince within twenty miles around here! You're basically free to go to Inchigo Base."

Sonic stared, "And how do you know?"

Aaron then bolted from behind Mellony, "We'd better move then if we don't want to be caught!"

Conore stared at the wolf, "Change your mind all of a sudden? Why so?"

Aaron shrugged, "Just because."

Knuckles turned to Rouge, and stared at her with a suspicious glare.

"What?" Rouge shrugged, "I didn't do anything."

Tails poked Conore, "Yeah, can we go?"

"Yeah, lets." Misty nodded, in her fox form, "We've already got a problem with us right now, and I don't want to end up the next, or worse."

Mellony shrugged, "It happens anyways."

Espio shrugged, and stood up, "Let's move then."

In that second, Sonic was out the door, and the doors swung back and forth rapidly, leaving the others in a slight wind. Quickly they all followed him, and went out the doors, just as the sun rose above the treetops.

Sonic stopped and looked around at the scenery, seeing that the black bird was nowhere to be found. For some odd reason though, he felt he needed the bird's assistance, but the bird only came when he didn't ask for it.

He shrugged.

Misty then halted beside him at high speed, leaving a blue flame trail behind her that slowly faded away. She stared up at him as her eyes glowed blue.

_Happiness is where we find it, but not when we seek it. Don't go looking for the bird, let it come to you._

Sonic stared down at her while Misty was still in her fox form, and nodded, his eyes shifting from green to gold again, and smiled.

"Sonic! Wait up!" Tails hollered from behind.

The two spun their heads, and seen Espio running and stopped right by Misty, and stared at Sonic with a bit of irritation.

Sonic smiled slightly, "Oops, sorry bud, forgot about your problem."

Espio stared, "I will laugh at you if it happens to you too."

Sonic stared at him with his mouth dropped, "How could you? Are you really that cold hearted?"

Misty shifted to her black hedgehog form and stared at him, "Shut it Sonic…"

Sonic laughed a little, "Sorry, I just feel a bit more alive this morning."

"For once." Espio growled slightly.

The others then finally caught up, Tails and Knuckles gasping for air, Rouge simply flying above their heads, and Conore, Aaron, and Shadow came to a stop just behind them. Sonic quickly shifted his eyes towards them, and quickly made a note to never speed like that, especially with Espio's condition.

Tails stared at Sonic; "You really want us dead, don't you?"

Sonic smiled, "Sorry…"

Conore and Aaron then glanced at one another, and nodded. Both then leaped into the air, glowing, and did a front flip as they descended to the ground, their glowing shapes changing, and became smaller. As the glowing shapes landed, they landed on four feet instead of two, and were more of a dog shape. Tails instantly knew then what the two friends then done. The white glow disappeared, revealing a tan and black wolf, and a silver and black wolf, both looking similar.

Rouge stared at the wolves, "Weird…"

The silver wolf turned to Rouge, and spoke with Aaron's Australian voice, "We're the same guys mate. No fear."

Shadow then poked at the tan one, "So this is Conore, right?"

The tan wolf then spun around and snapped at the hedgehog's finger, nicking the glove slightly. The hedgehog jumped a few inches away from the wolf, and gripped his finger, hoping the wolf didn't bite his finger off.

"Evil thing!" Shadow growled.

"Yeah well don't poke me, okay?" the wolf growled with Conore's voice.

Sonic shrugged, "I guess we're set."

Knuckles nodded, "Lets move fast, just in case he was spotted just after we left."

Misty twitched with irritation.

Espio's eyes quickly turned snake like, and gnashed his teeth, letting a slight snarl pass through his throat, and faced Sonic. Sonic stared at Espio distressed, and was wondering why the chameleon was suddenly angered. Espio's growl then rose into a snarl, scaring the others a little, and took a few steps towards the hedgehog.

"Um, Espio?" Sonic stared, backing up a few steps, "Are you okay?"

Espio continued to snarl, and arched his back slightly, and kept his eyes on Sonic. His tail whipped back and fourth with determination, and claws formed in his hands, like he was ready to attack the hedgehog. His fangs growing out, and started to drip with his saliva, that then dripped down the side of his mouth in hunger.

Sonic lowered his ears, and took a few more steps backwards, his body shaking a little, "Espio?"

The chameleon then snarled violently at the hedgehog, and shot at him, his claws grabbing Sonic's shoulders, and pushing the hedgehog into a tree behind him, pinning Sonic to where he could only fight with his feet. The others gasped in shock, and Knuckles, Misty, and Shadow quickly ran over to the two, and grabbed the chameleon's shoulders and legs, trying to pull the craved one back away from Sonic. The chameleon's tail though formed a blade at the end, and swiped the three across their chests, making them tumble backwards and bleed.

Rouge, Conore, and Aaron then tried. Aaron was able to dodge the tail, and grab it as it came back at him with his wolf mouth and held it secure as it jerked around in his grip. Conore bit one of Espio's legs and started to tug backwards, the teeth piercing through the scales and making the chameleon bleed. Rouge then flew in air and grabbed Espio's stomach, and yanked backwards.

Espio then let out a horrifying screech into the air, not releasing Sonic; the claws were latched just behind the shoulders, and tugged on Sonic's meat. Sonic also cried out in pain, feeling his tendons being torn by the chameleon's claws, it wasn't worse than automatic stitches though, but that's what it felt like to the hedgehog.

Misty's mouth dropped slightly, "Not good, not good."

Knuckles stared at her, "why not?"

She spun her head and glared back, "Remember?"

Shadow then flicked his ears up, "The mutant!"

Espio released Sonic's right shoulder, and turned to face Rouge halfway, and smacked her across the face with his claws, making her release him and fall backwards a ways from Espio. Sonic quickly then tried fighting back, and bit Espio's arm that held him to the tree, growing his fangs out and digging in hard. The chameleon though didn't seem to care, and swiped at Conore's wolf face, and made the poor wolf tumble into Aaron, making the silver wolf release Espio's tail. The chameleon then reared up his tail, and swiped the two wolf's backs, and made them roll to the side of him.

"Conore!" Tails cried out, and charged at them.

Knuckles quickly got up and grabbed Tails, holding the fox back from endangering himself. The fox fought Knuckles, and tried to be like Sonic, and bite his arms.

"Tails! Knock it off!" The echidna snapped.

Sonic quickly drew out his claws, and grabbed the chameleon's shoulder, pushing the claws through his skin. The chameleon turned towards the hedgehog, and seen that's Sonic's eyes became blazing red, and fangs were drawn out, hissing at him with fury.

Espio then hissed back, and swung his arm around at the hedgehog, only to be blocked, and quickly pushed to the ground by him. The two then started to snarl like rabies'-filled pit bulls, and rolled around to try and pin one another down while clawing and biting menacingly at each other.

Aaron and Conore both got up, and leaped out of the way as the two rolled into their spots, and when Espio used his Serpents at Sonic, and made the snake creatures snap Sonic's skin, and cling tightly, starting to drain the blood that Sonic had in his body. The hedgehog though didn't care, and bit Espio's chest, tearing some skin from the spot, and making the chameleon screech even louder in pain.

Blood was draining from their bodies like water, and their blood was painting the grass and trees as they rolled around with one on another. Soon though the rolling stopped, and they began wrestling, and Sonic's tail lengthened, starting to twist with each other and seeing if they could pin their enemy this way. Sonic quickly curled his tail around Espio's neck, and tried choking the chameleon, yanking harder and harder to try and make the chameleon surrender.

Espio spun around and swiped at Sonic's face, making the hedgehog release his grip and step back a few steps, screeching slightly as he sat on his hands and feet. Espio quickly got on his hands and feet, snarled at the hedgehog, and lunged at the hedgehog again, shoving them both towards the others, their bloody bodies dragging across the ground. Quickly the group scattered to avoid being in the fight, and knew better than to try and break them up again, seeing everyone except Tails was hurt.

They snarled in each other's faces, and dug their claws into one another, ripping the skin open and leaving deadly cuts indented in the skins. Sonic reared up his feet, and slipped them under Espio before the chameleon decided to use the Serpents against him again, and shoved the chameleon to the side. Espio slid on his side towards a few more trees, scraping his side against the ground's rock and dirt. When he stopped sliding, the chameleon quickly got back on his hands and feet again, and snarled at the hedgehog once again. Sonic also got onto his hands and feet, and in reply snarled violently at the chameleon.

They stood yards apart; it was like a standoff between them, as they glared into each other's eyes, watching blood drain from their mouths, skin stained by their blood being driven into them, and their snarls slowly being reduced to growls. Sonic stared at the chameleon with the red eyes, and watched the chameleon's every move, both of their tails whipping back and fourth, both had their backs arched, and both on all fours.

The others stood away from the two, seeing that they were going to lunge at each other again, and cause more bloodshed. Conore and Aaron slowly shifted back to their normal fox and wolf form, their backs aching from Espio's strike, and sat watching them with wonder. The others though stood and watched the two cautiously.

Knuckles though seen a chance to stop the fight, and turned to Misty slightly.

Misty stared back and whispered, "I know what you're thinking…"

Knuckles then got close to her and wrapped his arm around her, getting his muzzle close to her ear, and made sure no one else was to hear.

"Since you're telepathic," Knuckles mentioned, "You go after Espio, and I'll get Sonic."

Misty nodded in agreement while keeping her eyes on the two.

Knuckles then nodded, and the two then split apart, Misty headed towards Espio, and Knuckles aiming at Sonic. The others quickly turned their heads towards Knuckles and stared at him with glares. The echidna though poked his index finger up against his glove and mimed a shush towards them, and silently crept into the bushes without making a loud noise. Misty also did the same, and crept into the bushes, keeping her eyes on Espio, but yet taking a quick second to glance at Sonic's movements.

The others held their breaths, and watched the two craved fighters still glaring at one another, seeing if one of them would attack, or move. Knuckles kept his violet eyes on Sonic, his hands out from his side, creeping closer and closer behind Sonic, making sure to stay hidden not only from Sonic's sight, but Espio's as well.

_Knux…_

Knuckles blinked a few times, hearing Misty's voice in his head, but continued to move forward.

_Yes Misty?_

Misty was able to reach behind Espio without a sound, and crouched down.

_You ready?_

Knuckles also crouched down, but behind Sonic.

_Yes, you?_

Misty nodded very lightly, and rose up a little, ready to jump Espio.

_On three…_

Knuckles then stood in ready position.

_One…two…_

Sonic then snarled, stunning everyone including Knuckles.

_THREE!_

The two quickly bolted from the bushes, and attacked the two fighters without hesitation. Knuckles grasped Sonic around the neck, and straddled the hedgehog's back, forcing the hedgehog onto his stomach, and started to choke the hedgehog like Misty did once before. Sonic snarled, trying to shake the echidna off of him, as his breath shortened more and more, and his vision blurred. Soon his tail shortened to normal length, and Sonic's eyes changed back to green, and the hedgehog passed out.

Misty also straddled Espio, and was just a second away from grasping the chameleon's neck, until Espio screeched, and rolled to the side, making Misty fall off and land on her back. Espio seen the hedgehog on her back, and leaped on top of her, and pinned both of her arms to the ground, and snarled in her face, his snake like eyes staring down at her red eyes. The hedgehog though didn't resist, and stared back at the chameleon with challenge in her eyes, and actually smiled slightly.

Knuckles got up, and stood with legs to both sides of Sonic, and stared at the two, watching to see if Espio was about to try and kill her, but heard no more loud snarling, and watched.

Misty then pulled her head up and kissed the craved chameleon, her lips promptly stained by the blood that dripped from Espio's mouth. The chameleon stopped growling, and stood with a bit of shock in his eyes, and loosened his grip with Misty's arms. The two lay on the ground, their tongues then twisting inside their mouths, Misty's being poked by Espio's fangs, starting to numb up only a little, as they slowly laid on the ground fully. Espio lowered himself to where his body warmed the hedgehog up all around, curling his tail around her leg, his eyes then finally shifting to the normal gold.


	21. PreBirth

**Chapter 21: **

**Pre-Birth**

Quazaireon and Zephyra trotted the stone hallways while talking to each other, both seemed a bit relaxed and both seemed really fine. Their footsteps barely heard, their voices barely bounced the hallway, and their movements were made of peace and not tragedy.

"So you know what to do, right?" Quazaireon tested the demon-hog.

"Yes." Zephyra nodded, "What me to feed the Hounds?"

"That's been taken care of." Quazaireon stated.

"Will do then." The demon-hog nodded.

Quazaireon then heard a slight noise, and stopped in his tracks, and raised his ears up in alert, while staring down the dark hallway. The demon-hog also stopped, and stared at the black one as he stared with awareness.

"What's up?" Zephyra asked as her turned his head down to the creature.

When the demon-hog stopped, they both stood silently, waiting for a sound that Quazaireon heard once, and hoped to hear again. Zephyra then turned his head forward, and stared down the hallway, perking his ears up also in alert, and his purple eyes shifting to a very soft blue.

There was a very faint gripe that they both heard; it was of a female's voice that was luckily able to echo down the hallways to them. The dark one blinked and raised his head up slightly, and Zephyra only blinked, wondering what it was.

"This way." The dark one implied.

Quazaireon then started to walk cautiously, his head low and kept his black eyes in front of him. Zephyra only kept his hands behind his head, and followed him towards the sound. There was a door to the right, and the sound was made again, they both then were sure that the sound was coming from the other side of the door.

Quazaireon's eyes glowed purple, and he stared towards the wall the door was on, and was given the ability to see through the walls he stared through. The dark one stared into the wall he heard the sound, and through the wall he stared through, there was Ramaindna against the wall with Mince very close to her. The chameleon moaned slightly, leaning closer to her as he rubbed against her up and down, while she was pressed against the wall, her mouth open as she moaned slightly herself in pleasure.

"AH! MY EYES!" Quazaireon shrieked in shock, his ability wearing off.

The dark one quickly stumbled backwards and landed on his back with his paws over his eyes. Zephyra leaped a few inches from him, and stared at the dark one with now yellow eyes of shock, wondering what he saw.

"What is it?" The demon-hog spoke.

The dark one gritted his teeth, "Have my eyes finally told me I was of old age? Or have I just seen my worst nightmare!"

The hedgehog stood and stared at the dark one, "What are you talking about? What did you see?"

The dark one quickly bounced to his feet, and arched his back with rage, "I've seen our new member now on the most wanted list!"

Zephyra stood confused, and watched the dark one run over towards the door and backed up against the wall parallel to the door, and readied to break the door down.

"That bastard's just drawn the damn line!" Quazaireon snarled.

He bolted towards the door, determined to break the door down, and go after the chameleon for his doing. Just as he leaped, the door opened up fully, and the dark one quickly fell to the ground, and rolled into the room, missing the door. He rolled in the room like Sonic would when doing a spin dash, only accidentally, and crashed underneath a desk with a steel backboard to the desk. Quazaireon laid against he steel backboard while sitting on his neck motionless, and soon collapsed to the ground on his side, and rubbed his head in aching pain.

Zephyra then bolted in and flicked his head around, "What's going on?"

A deep chuckle made the demon-hog turn, and stared to his right. There stood Mince, laughing slightly in pleasure as he leaned against the wall, grinning evilly.

The demon-hog snarled, "You…"

Mince stared at the demon-hog with his red eyes glowing slightly, "We'll be expecting really soon. Just so you know."

The dark one heard Mince's remark, and bounced to his feet, only to hit his head against the desk again, only above him, and made Quazaireon lower his head, and rubbed his head with irritation from behind hit again.

The demon-hog growled slightly, "You mother fucker…"

He smiled, "I'm not the only one, so you know…"

Quazaireon got back on his feet, and walked form underneath the desk, and stared at Mince, "Where is she?"

He shrugged, "Oh, hiding I suppose, will soon be in severe pain though."

Zephyra then quickly exited out of the room and went to find Ramaindna, pissed. Quazaireon watched as Zephyra disappeared, then stared at Mince with a fierce glare.

"You serious about her?" The dark one snarled slightly.

Mince chuckled again, "It's not an actual living being, let's call it a pre-birth, shall we?"

Zephyra quickly dashed the hallways, his eyes red as blood, and very uneasy at Mince's doing. It was lucky of Quazaireon to have spotted them before hand, otherwise things would've been a lot worse. He wished that the mutant was dead, and that Demeortris would change his ways and send him off back on his own like he has always been. His back grew more stiff with anger, and grew more furious every second, unable to stand the thought.

He caught her in the corner of his eye, and screeched to a stop, and stared to his left. Ramaindna lay on her side, her back turned towards Zephyra, and wasn't moving a bit, and it was like she was dead.

The demon-hog's eyes grew a dark blue, worried, and walked over to her silently, his shoes barely tapping the floor with sound, as he got closer and closer. He knelt behind her, and put a hand on her arm, feeling slight warmth on her arm, at least she wasn't as cold as ice. A hand then grasped his, fingernails a bit sharp, and was hotter than her skin; luckily it showed some blue highlights on the fingers.

He sighed in relief, "Ramaindna?"

Her shoulders twitched, and she pushed herself with her arm up, shaking violently and looked like she was to fall back to the ground. Zephyra quickly leaned over and grasped her with his arms under hers, and pulled her up, and laid her against him with her head on his chest.

"Ramaindna?" He called her name.

She blinked a few times, and stared up at him, "Zephyra?"

He pulled her up a bit more, and leaned against the wall while his legs were under her, "What happened?"

She gripped his hand slightly, "I-I, I was planning a tactic, and, what I didn't realize, w-was when you were to kiss him, h-he had some sort of seduction curse on him…"

"And one thing lead to another." Zephyra finished, "You okay?"

She shook her head, "No, but…now I know…"

Zephyra stared down at her, "About what?"

She grunted a little in pain, putting her arms around her stomach that seemed larger than usual, "About Misty…why she couldn't resist…that's his secret weapon…"

Zephyra growled slightly, remembering Misty. She was his target, not for rape, but for someone that could help him. Sadly though, since he's a member of the Dark, she was to either run, or fight at him, and such, he has to use his ice powers to do what he was ordered to do. His eyes blazed red again, and lowered his ears, while staring out towards the hallway, so upset at Mince's doing.

Ramaindna then cried out in pain, and grasped her stomach. Zephyra quickly lifted her up from his body, and dragged her to where she was the one leaning against the wall, slapping her hands on the floor, and started to cry slightly while the pain grew worse.

Zephyra stared at her, then her pants, and then back at her, and took a deep breath, "Ramaindna, do I have permission?"

She nodded quickly, as her eyes were closed shut, and breathed heavily as she tried to bear with the pain that was storming in her stomach. Zephyra then took another deep breath, and undid her belt, and dragged down her pants off of her, and quickly flicked them to the side away from her, already seeing blood. Quickly he got to the side and held her hand as she gripped tightly.

"I can't believe I'm saying this." The demon-hog whimpered slightly, "But, push!"

She took one last breath, and leaned forward, pain becoming even worse.

------------------------

Sonic yelped, and flicked his feet upwards in astonishment, nearly falling off of a small ledge that he sat on, and scared the others back onto their feet again while staring at the hedgehog. The hedgehog took deep breaths from coming from his nightmare, his heart rushing with excitement and speed, and it seemed like it was endless. He stared around, and seen they were in a dark place with the smell of dirt and plant roots, and some of the others stood with flashlights pointed at him, making his eyes shine against them and making Sonic turn his head away from the lights.

Knuckles then wandered over with a flashlight and kneeled in front of the hedgehog, "You okay?"

Sonic took a huge deep breath and sighed, "I don't know, where are we?"

"We're in the underground trail." Conore's voice echoed in the distance, running back to the others, "and we've got a long ways to go, probably more than a mile long."

Rouge stared at the fox, "I thought this was suppose to be a shortcut."

"It is." Aaron stated, "The other route would've been about five miles, and if were traveling five miles an hour, it'd take us an hour to get there, here, about ten minutes."

"Make that thirty." Tails spoke, "This trail's about three and a quarter."

Sonic then pushed himself to his feet, and brushed himself off, "Well, let's get moving."

"Yes, and quickly." Misty growled slightly, "I don't want to end up being bit by a Hobo Spider here just so people know. Or a Brown Recluse, ech!"

Shadow gave a slight snort, and started to walk, while Aaron and Conore lead the way, followed by the others. Sonic's legs wobbled a little from being passed out for a while, and pushed his body from the walls to keep from falling, and kept his eyes partly down so he could try and see where he was going.

There was then a loud yelp just feet away, and the sound of someone stumbling to their knees. Knuckles quickly flicked his flashlight up and showed to him and Sonic, Espio holding his stomach and stumbling backwards against the wall while Misty tried to support him. Aaron and Conore quickly stopped and spun their bodies around, pointing the flashlights near the two, allowing the others to see.

Espio cried out a little in pain, taking deep breaths to try and stay calm and relieve the pain that tortured him. He felt the infant's claws scrap his insides, and the feeling of being bitten inside was so painful, and the feeling of the mutant squirming around in his stomach as he held his arms around his stomach was weird. The mutant inside then pushed against his stomach, his stomach bloating a little, and even more stinging struck him strongly, and he bellowed with blood slightly dripping from his mouth.

Sonic's eyes stared at Espio, and as he stared, a quick flash of his nightmare appeared, where Ramaindna and Zephyra were together and she was having her contractions. Sonic gasped a little, blinking a few times in a bit of shock, and rubbed his eyes to see if he was seeing things. He stared back up towards Espio and Misty, and seen only them being reflected upon flashlights, not the flash of the other two he just saw. His spine tingled a little with eeriness, and everything around him was tuned out for that moment of wonder. Was the nightmare he had really like a sign, or something else?

"Sonic!" Rouge barked.

Sonic flinched a little, and got back to reality, and turned to Rouge with a startled look. Everything was silent except the sound the other's footsteps, and the sound of Espio's heavy breathing.

Rouge stared at him with suspicion, "Are you sure you're okay? You looked kinda dead there for a moment."

Sonic nodded, and scratched the back of his head, "Um, yeah, I guess."

Rouge nodded slightly, "Uhum, sure you are."

Sonic stared at her for a moment, then spun his head back towards Espio, still leaning against the dirt wall, while Misty and Aaron tried to support him as he continued to take deep breaths. Sonic took a deep breath himself, and wondered what was to happen next.

------------------------

The wooden door slammed open, and Zephyra stomped in with fury at its peak, eyes blazing red, and hands bloody. Demeortris flicked his eyes open and stared at the demon-hog as Zephyra stomped towards him.

"Now look what you've done!" Zephyra snarled violently, "Thanks to your damn decision! Mince has just-"

Zephyra was just feet away when Demeortris then sprang up, and pointed his hand at his throat, and immediately, Zephyra was put to a halt feeling his neck being constricted and held back. Quickly the demon-hog silenced, and bared the constriction that the demon had on him, and watched Demeortris come forward to the demon-hog, still furious.

Demeortris stopped just inches away from his face, "You wish to be meat for the Hounds?"

Zephyra growled, "He raped and impregnated Ramaindna…"

Demeortris then stared at him with a bit of rage, but nothing that the demon-hog was afraid of. The demon then turned around swiftly, and released the demon-hog from the invisible constriction that he put against him. Zephyra coughed a little from being choked, and stared at the demon, watching him sit back down at his place. The demon-hog expected a ruthless comment, or an order to go after Mince, or even he would do it himself, he expected something of his favor though.

The demon sat for a second, his face still filled with some rage, and stared with a bit of looseness. Soon though his rage faded, and a grin slowly creased his face, closing his eyes and started to chuckle deeply, his fangs showing against some light from a small ceiling light. Zephyra's expression then shifted slowly to disappointment, and stared at Demeortris, seeing that the demon wasn't in his favor, and was actually laughing. He felt alone…

"Zephyra…" The demon laughed, "That's why I brought Mince here, that's his duty."

Zephyra's mouth dropped, and was speechless, unable to think of anything to say of his word.

Demeortris stared at the demon-hog's blood stained hands and smiled, "Too bad Mince didn't have time to finish, otherwise, we would've been on our way."

Zephyra glared at the demon, turned around slowly, and started to walk slowly back towards the door.

"Zephyra." Demeortris called to him.

The demon-hog stopped, and turned his head back at the demon with purple eyes again.

"I need you to head to Inchigo Base." The demon ordered, "I need you and Mince to capture all of Sonic's friends, and Misty's as well. And narrow down Espio's time to seven months."

Zephyra's back stiffened, "Over my dead body will I take that raping mutant with me…"

Demeortris raised an eyebrow that held a silver piercing that held a of black diamond, "Unless you want to be next to please Mince, I suggest you take him with you."

Zephyra stared at him for a few seconds, and sighed a little, then turned back around and walked out the door, his trench coat floating behind him a little from the tiny icy wind Zephyra brought up and chilled the room before he left.

The demon smiled, "We'll get them this time…"

------------------------

"Ouch! Quit it Shadow!" Knuckles snapped.

"It ain't my fault that it's dark in here!" Shadow snapped back.

Knuckles and Shadow continued to bicker about being stepped on and being ran into, while the others just kept walking ahead of them. Shadow then tripped on another rock, and collided into Knuckles once again.

"I said QUIT!" Knuckles growled.

Knuckles then quickly shoved the hedgehog to the right one last time, and made the hedgehog smack his face against a stalactite in front of him, and falling backwards. Knuckles then just walked passed him, and left his to struggle to get up, and grumbled to himself with irritation. Shadow quickly got back up on his feet holding his head, and ran towards the others without looking what was beneath him.

The hedgehog then tripped again, and made a face plant into the dirt, and lay there for a second. Quickly again, her got back up, and ran to catch up to the others.

They walked silently, about thirty minutes have passed, and their flashlights dances around the cave like fireflies. Their footsteps echoed within the tunnel, little pats like wolf paws on rock. They all felt a slight chill of cold breathe against them as they walked; it was the coldness of dead souls that died here.

"There it is!" Aaron barked.

They all looked ahead, seeing Aaron and Conore running towards a dead end with a huge metal circular latch above the dead end that looked heavier than they wanted it. The two stared at it for a moment, and then faced Knuckles.

The echidna knew what they wanted and quickly jogged to them, handing Sonic the flashlight, and stood with the two. Luckily, there were four steel laddered that were built against the wall, and all three climbed up the ladders and slapped a hand on the metal disc, while the other hands held them from falling off the ladders. Quickly Aaron and Conore shifted to their ware forms, black markings showing up on their fur, and a bit of muscle.

"Alright, push!" Conore told the other two.

They pushed as hard as they could, all three showing effort to lifting the metal door open. The metal door screeched open as the three pushed farther and farther, and Tails quickly decided to help and fly up in the middle of the circle, and used his shoulder to push the metal fully open. The door was removed from the three strong one's grip, and from Tails shoulder, and collapsed onto the ground with a loud crack and bang. The door snapped from its hinge and wobbled like a coin on the ground, slowly slowing down, and stopped.

The two friends then shifted to their normal forms, and pulled themselves up onto the ground above. Knuckles only held himself on the ladder and waited, while Tails lowered himself back to the ground and waited, and so did the others that stood.

"Clear!" Aaron called down to them.

Quickly Knuckles pulled himself up, Tails and Rouge flew out of the hole, while the other four were to get onto the ladders.

Rouge stood by Aaron and looked at him with a bit of impression, "Did you change your ways just for me? Or just to not deal with Amy?"

Aaron shrugged, "Well, both really, but also not just for you, but everyone."

The bat smiled, "If we ever get out of this mess, we should go out, you know?"

Aaron then turned and blushed, laying his ears back with a bit of shyness, "I guess we could."

She smiled and hugged the wolf. Aaron stood with a bit of question, wondering if it's just a friendly hug, or more, but in return hugged her back, and flicking his tail back and forth. Knuckles turned towards the two, and seeing them hug, he rolled his eyes in a bit of disgust.

Aaron also kinda rolled his eyes, "You should meet Ricky, he's someone to die for. Rich guy."

Rouge then quickly pulled back and stared, "Seriously?"

Aaron rolled his eyes again, wishing he never mentioned the name.

Just after Sonic jumped out, Knuckles grabbed the broken metal door, and pushed it back on top of the hole, and made sure it was secured properly over the hole. They all looked around, seeing the large steel buildings surrounding them, though showing sky, they looked a lot larger than what they expected. Windows were broken; doors were open that lead into messy hallways, the place was a disaster, with some vines growing here and there from going over the walls of Inchigo's walls.

"Welcome to Inchigo Base." Conore stated.

* * *

So sue me XP, like I'll care bricked

But I'll be taking another week to hopefully finish Start of a Hero, and start on the next Link Story (dun dun duuuuuuun) So u all know ahead of time.

Thank ya for reading to this point, more chapters soon


	22. Inchigo Nightmare

**Chapter 22: **

**Inchigo Nightmare**

They all stood blankly, no one said a word, and only heard the sounds of crows in the distanced making racket and disturbing the peace.

"It's been about four years since I was here." Conore stated, "Only for a package I had to pick up though."

"I was supposed to be sent here to grab something important a few years back." Sonic said, "With Rouge."

"So was I." Misty stated, "Just as you two left the room."

Tails then turned to Conore, "So what are we here for?"

"Lighter." The fox spoke, "He's suppose to pick us up here."

The younger fox nodded slightly.

Aaron's ears then quickly flicked up in alert, and he quickly spun his head behind him, and stared past Knuckles. He stared at a corner not far from where they stood, and thought that he heard something of danger, and grew a bit concerned.

They all stared at him with concern.

"Aaron?" Rouge questioned the wolf.

He ignored her, and continued to stare at the corner, lowering his ears, and the tip of his tail flicking back and forth with caution. The wolf then started to walk forward, back slightly arched, and kept his eyes focused on the corner, lightly setting his feet down on the ground as he walked, stalking towards the corner with skill. His blue eyes kept forward, his hands to the sides and readied, licking his lips, ready for whatever was around the corner as he crept close to the wall. Soon the wolf stopped just inches before the corner, and pressed his back against the wall, and crept to the corner inch by inch. He poked his head around the corner, and glanced only with his left eye with his head slightly cocked to the left to see around the corner.

Nothing…

The only thing he saw was more building with broken windows and doors, and some vines trailing the ground. The wolf sighed in irritation, and spun back towards the others, and faced them from his position, and gave a thumb up to them, telling them it was safe.

Sonic grew a bit frustrated, "Damn it, I'm growing a bit impatient here. Can we go?"

They all turned to Sonic and stared at him with a bit of a glare. Aaron shrugged, and started to walk back to the others, seeing that nothing was near or watching, and felt at ease. His eyes stared up towards the top of the buildings ahead, seeing the sky, and a black figure that leaped over from one building top to another. He froze and stared at the building that the figure landed on, his ears up in alert and frozen in his placement. The black figure appeared again, and as it leaped, its body changed shape, and grew into a massive creature that was headed to the others.

Instantly he knew, and shouted, "Look out! It's Mince!"

They all stood frozen and glanced upwards, seeing the black figure coming in close and clear, a huge mutant with black claws, and with the familiar black eyes with red slits in them. Everyone shrieked, and scattered, all going out and away from their positions, and soon stopped yards away where the mutant landed, and screeched to a halt. The tail whipped back and forth with a black blade at the end, quills streaming down the back, fangs that were like knives, and a slim proportion built for speed.

Ice then surrounded them all just feet behind them, an ice wall that stood about twenty feet above their heads, and glistened against the reflection of the sun. They all spun their heads and bodies to see the massive wall trap them inside with Mince, and shrieked with fear, knowing there was nothing they could use to break through.

Zephyra then dropped from a building, and landed on his feet beside the mutant Mince, and stared at Sonic and Misty, who were opposite from Espio and Conore. His black trench coat waving in the slight chilled winds that the demon-hog possessed, and his green marked quills glowed with brightness as the chill was in the winds.

He smiled, "Long time no see Misty."

She growled slightly, "Zephyra…"

Sonic stared at the demon-hog, "Who are you?"

The demon-hog rolled his eyes slightly, "Zephyra Legorono, demon-hog of ice, and sadly not the only mutant of the Dark anymore."

Misty then smiled and laughed at the demon-hog, "Sucks to have him around doesn't it?"

The large mutant then shifted to the chameleon they all despised, and took a few steps away from Zephyra, "Well this tattletale needs to keep his nose out of other people's business. Especially mine."

Zephyra then grew angered and spun around towards Mince, "You shut up newbie!"

Rouge then stared, "Newbie?"

Zephyra then turned to Rouge, "He was made a member of the Dark about a day ago."

Tails then jumped, "What?"

Aaron sighed, "Great…"

Mince then smiled, "And you're all coming with us, and there's no way out of here except this little hole, which is now closed and iced."

The mutant then eyed Espio and grinned evilly, his eyes flicking back to the black with red slits, "And you're mine!"

Zephyra then quickly turned, "Mince not now!"

It was too late for the demon-hog to stop him, and the mutant charged at Espio, shifting back into the mutant form he was once in. Espio quickly shifted to his, and flew upwards as fast as his wings could take him, and almost had his tail bitten by the mutant. Quickly then everyone started to scatter even more, Espio, Shadow, Knuckles, and Conore took on Mince, while Rouge, Tails, and Aaron took on Zephyra. Misty and Sonic though started to find a way to break from the barrier that trapped them inside.

Sonic spun his head towards Misty, "You have the power of fire! Use it!"

The hedgehog leaped into the air and did a front flip, and shifted quickly into her fox form, then faced away from the barrier, "You take care of it, I'll cover for you."

The demon-hog dodged every moveed that was put at him, Rouge and Aaron missing with their kicks, and Tails slamming into ice from not body slaming into the demon-hog. Rouge tried another kick to the demon-hog's face, only to have him grab her feet, and leap upwards, shoving her foot downwards, and avoiding Aaron's punch as he leaped. Tails then tried again, anf lew up at him, Zephyra though spun around, and harnessed ice daggers out of nowhere, and shot at Tails, slightly wounding the fox. Tails fell back to his feet, and stayed behind Rouge and Aaron, who were stronger.

Shadow was smacked arouss the face by the tail but not the blade of Mince's mutant form, and flew into the ice barrier that baricaded them all inside. The other three though tried attacking his side and above, only to have the tail come right back and smack them away, it was better than being clawed, who knew what would happen. Knuckles then clinched to the swinging tail that swung at him, and held on as it flung around towards Espio, to try and cause pain the echidna thought, he bit the mutant's tail. His mouth quickly began buring, and his arms and chest started to burn abdly, he shouted out in pain and released the tail, and flung into Espio as the tail swung around and missed the two. The two then lied on the ground with pain striking furiously through them, and knuckles tried to get his mouth to stop buring by wiping his tongue on his arm, only to make his arm burn.

Mince snarled violently, and swung his tail from above, and threw it at them. The were-fox then bolted form the side, and caught the tail with his claw-filled hands, and tried to keep the tail from smaching down on the two wounded ones. The two qucikly scampered form their places, and spotted Misty and Sonic.

Ice chunks went flying everywhere as Sonic tried drilling as best as he could, stabbing Misty a little on the tail and back, and barely covering the ground. She then spotted Espio flying towards her, followed by Rouge and Tails, and Conore, Aaron, Shadow, and Knuckles all scampered towards her. Zephyra and Mince were just feet behind them, Zephyra quite the distance away from Mince, while Mince was inching closer and closer to the others. Just seconds after they passed her, her paws were lit with blue fire, and a blue fire barrier quickly drew up in front of her and spanned to the sides, making a half circle to where the fire barrier touched the ice. The two then collided with the barrier, and the force was transmitted to the fox, and pushed her back some, like an invisible force that linked her with the barrier.

Sonic then stopped drilling and fell on his back, his body aching from the cold ice and for drilling hard enough. A large hole was made, but it didn't even go half way through the ice barrier.

Knuckles then dragged Sonic out of the way and stood in front of the hole, and faced the others, "Come on! We don't have time!"

The echidna then started to punch into the ice, ice chunked flying from his punches, Rouge then flew beside him, and started to kick the ice wall just after Knuckles made a punch. Conore and Aaron then shifted to their ware forms, Conore punching after Rouge, and Aaron doing kicks after Conore's punch. They all rotated, each doing a move, then reared up for the next, and did this as fast as they could without mistake, drilling the hole faster than Sonic could.

Misty struggled keeping the two back, and her body began to be pushed backwards as the barrier was being pushed against. Sonic and Shadow quickly ran up beside her and stared at her.

"Need help?" Sonic asked her.

Misty lowered her fox ears, "Yes, I do."

Her eyes glowed for a second, then faded, and both the hedgehog's hands then were lit on fire by a red flame instead of a blue flame. The flame didn't burn; in fact, it made the two hedgehogs feel a lot more energy than they just did.

"The fire's only for a few minutes," Misty exclaimed, "Now help me out."

The two hedgehogs nodded, and put their fiery hands out in front of their bodies, and the blue barrier soon became a mix of blue and red fire, and tremendous force was put against the two hedgehogs. Misty was relived a little, but not by much, and the other two got the same amount of force she got, and with Mince not even at his fullest, and Zephyra along side with him, the force was bad enough for the three.

Tails and Espio stood to the side, and watched them all at work while they stood and waited. Espio was breathing slightly heavy from being chased, while tails stood scared and wished that something good would happen, hopefully, get out of Inchigo base.

Tails then turned to Espio to see if the chameleon was still okay, and shouted over the loudness of the four and the fire's roar, "You alright?"

Espio nodded slightly, "Sorta, you?"

Tails shook his head, "Hell no! Not with that Mince around!"

Espio nodded in agreement, "He's not something to toy with, he'll go far, and when I say far, I mean _really_ far!"

Tails nodded, "I may have only seen him twice now, but both times he's shown his potential!"

The four that struck the ice with their punches and kicks, then finally busted a hole through the icy wall, and Knuckles gave it a final punch at the wall, and finally broke an escape route for them all. Quickly Knuckles and Rouge went through, Aaron followed while shifting to normal, and Conore stood by the whole and waved the others in. Tails scurried to the hole with panic, and Espio ran with fear. Conore then quickly bolted out, leaving Misty, Sonic, and Shadow with the barrier.

Sonic turned his head, and noticed the hole, "Looks like they escaped!"

"Now what do we do?" Shadow asked.

"Start walking backwards, take it steady." Misty stated.

The three then started to walk backwards slowly, and the barrier also followed them, getting smaller and smaller as they paced themselves towards the hole. The force grew stronger with every step, and grew more difficult for them to maintain the other two to keep away, even though they were just inches away from escaping.

Shadow turned to the other two, "Go on without me! I can take care of these two!"

Sonic and Misty stared at the hedgehog with stunned looks.

"Shadow!" Sonic shouted over the sound of fire, "We've nearly lost you once on the Ark, and twice when you mutated! We're not going to lose you again!"

Shadow snarled back, "Just go damn it!"

Sonic then quickly ran from the scene, the force growing even stronger, and Sonic's fire disappearing.

Misty turned to Shadow, "Are you sure?"

Shadow nodded.

Misty stared at him for a moment, and started to back up slowly into the hole, keeping the fire barrier at bay for the moment, with Shadow watching as she walked. She then sighed, and quickly bolted the other way, and the blue fire disappeared, leaving Shadow's fire to bear. The force though grew too strong for him to control, and he let down the fire shield, and charged at Zephyra that stood on the other side.

They met up with one another, and took a quick look around to see if anything was about. Misty then ran into the group, and shifted to her hedgehog form, and screeched to a halt.

Rouge stared at the hedgehog, "Where's Shadow?"

"He's not coming." Misty insisted, "He wanted to fight them off."

"He ain't gonna last long, that's a fact." Espio growled.

"Split up." Conore stated, "Split into twos, Tails you're coming with me!"

As Conore and Tails scuttled out of sight, Aaron turned to Rouge, "Comin'?"

Rouge nodded, and followed Aaron anther way, leaving Sonic, Misty, Knuckles, and Espio.

"So who's going with who?" Sonic shrugged.

"I'm going alone." Espio growled again.

Misty stared at him, "Means he's looking for you doesn't mean you should go alone."

Espio turned to the hedgehog, and glared at her, "Yes, it does…"

"Fine," Misty sighed, "But I'm too going alone."

The two lovers then turned their backs, and took off in different directions, and Sonic and Knuckles then went another direction, leaving no trace of their paths.

----------------------------

Aaron and Rouge ran as fast as they could, taking sharp corners right and left, until they decided to hide in a building, breaking the door down, and scurrying inside, and rushing upstairs. Neither thought of danger being near, until after the first flight of stairs, they stopped and stared down a narrow hallway ahead of them.

There stood four hedgehog mutants that fed on a corpse, bloody and partly slimy, they spotted the two and turned, hissing at them with razor fangs that were tangled with saliva and blood, with dark eyes staring at them.

"You'd think after two years, nothing would be in this place." Aaron commented, "How good are you?"

Rouge shrugged slightly, "How good are you?"

The mutants ahead of them then bolted at them, their claws clicking with every step they took. Without hesitating, the two then charged at the four mutants, Rouge following the wolf, and depended on the wolf to have something in mind. As the two sides collided, Aaron spun around a full three sixty, and did a high kick as one of the mutants leaped at him with the claws at his throat, and kicking the mutant into its partner behind it.

Rouge quickly took flight into the air, and kicked the third mutant on the side of its head, and making that mutant collide into a glass window nearby, and killed the mutant instantly. She descended, to the ground, shot from her landing point going after the fourth mutant that stood behind the first and second. The bat leaped, bringing up her left leg, and kicking the fourth mutant's cheek, making the bastard spill blood from its mouth, and cracking the head to where the head faced behind, and was dead instantly.

Aaron seen a small glass shard sticking in the wall, and swiftly swiped it form the wall as he spun around, and swiped one of the last two mutants in the face. The mutant screeched in pain, and backed off form him, tail curled underneath, while the second jumped on its back and leaped at Aaron with its fangs bared and claws out. The wolf quickly backed a step, and bashed his weapon into the mutant's head, splitting its skull and into its brain, and killed that mutant with ease. The mutant's body collapsed onto the ground, Aaron releasing his weapon as it fell, and stared at the last mutant, seeing it was coming back at him even though it's face was cut deeply from the glass shard. The wolf saw a florescent light above him that dangled from the ceiling, hopped towards the light, grasped the light, and reared his feet, kicking the mutant one last time. The mutant then soared backwards, and landed on a piece of broken steel that poked out from a door, its stomach being pierced, and killing that mutant.

Aaron landed on his feet, staring at the mutant that he just killed. His hand then started to sting with a bit of pain, shaking the hand a little to try and shake the pain off, and stared down to see it was a cut from the glass shard he used against the first mutant. It bled lightly, going from the middle of his ring finger, and to underneath his thumb, it hurt, but it didn't look bad enough to be afraid of.

Rouge stood by him and smiled, "You are skilled."

Aaron laughed a little, and spoke with his accent, "Yeah, but I can't leave a fight without being scratched, that's my curse."

They stared at the last mutant, and sighed with relief, then turned and headed into a room where a window hasn't been broken, and the door still worked, and locked themselves inside.

----------------------------

Misty walked the large hallways of another building, keeping her eyes open and circling all around to see if anyone was watching. Her pace was fast, her back stiff, his arms to her sides, and her mind speeding with thoughts. She just wanted peace, to be in a forest camping, or out on the plains running endlessly, she wanted peace again.

"Misty!" a male called behind her.

She spun around, and stared at Zephyra with a confused stare, "What do you want?"

The demon-hog started to walk to her; "I really don't mean any harm at this point."

She rolled her eyes, "I've heard that one before."

He continued to walk, "Look, all I want is that Watch of Cursed Time from you, and I'll leave you alone, alright?"

She laughed a little, "FYI, I don't have it with me."

He stared at her, "You don't…"

She smiled and shook her head, "Nope."

The demon-hog then stopped inches away from her, his demon tail swaying back and forth slowly, "I'll tell you what, just for once-"

Misty raised her hand to him, silencing Zephyra, and stared at him with a leering smile, "I know what you're going to say, and unless you want Mince to rip your head off, it's no."

The demon-hog ignored her, and quickly pressed his lips with hers closing his eyes, promptly slipping his tongue in her mouth, and holding her close to him. Misty growled slightly in her throat, feeling the demon-hog trying to seduce her, and knew she wasn't to go down that route with him. She pulled back and shoved him away from him, standing her ground, and fire surrounding her hands and glaring at him.

"Stay away from me Zephyra." She growled.

The demon-hog smiled, and waved his hand in air from right to left, forming an ice wall behind her, blocking her from taking off. She spun her head towards the wall, and then back at him, seeing he smirked, and waved his fingers at her, challenging her. Misty glared, and formed a fireball in her right hand.

"First blood." Zephyra challenged.

----------------------------

Sonic and Knuckles sat silently in a small room in another building, with bored expressions and irritated minds.

Sonic sighed, "Well, what do we do?"

"Don't know." Knuckles shrugged, "With Mince aorund, I ain't going out, I've already got my mouth burned, and it fucking hurt!"

Sonic stared, "How? He doesn breathe fire."

The echidna sighed, "I know, he bleeds acid."

Sonic's eyes flew open and stared at him with a bit of shock, "Oooooh, not good..."

Knuckles growled slightly, "It still kinda hurts, but, I'll never do that again."

Sonic shrugged, "Wonder what would happen if you were scratched by him."

Knuckles shrugged, "Probably nothing, there's probably another way to have something happen though."

Sonic noddes lgithly with a disgusted expression, "Yeah, I bet."

The echidna cocked his head slightly, "Are you okay?"

Sonic shrugged, "Eh, sorta, then sorta not, my head hurts from that ice though. Damn the Zephyra dude can really put up a wall."

Knuckles nodded, "No kidding."

"So we wait?" Sonic stared.

The echidna nodded, "Yes, lets."

----------------------------

Espio walked cautiously, his head spinning around for anything that stalked him, and his stomach slightly aching with pain, feeling the infant in him push to where his stomach slightly bloated, and made him slow down. He grasped his stomach with one hand and leaned against the wall with another, having slight trouble with breathing, and unable to walk any further due to the infant's pushing. Espio fell to his knees, and leaned forward, feeling his stomach go into knots and feeling like throwing up. The infant flipping around and torturing him slightly with nausea, it wasn't a good feeling at all; it was though better than pain he'd get from it.

He could feel the infant's backbone as it pressed against his belly's wall with his fingertips, and felt a chill go down his spine with a creepy end. To know that he would have to carry this thing inside him like a mother, for at the moment, eight months, and to maybe to this again was horrifying. He leaned against the wall and sat in distress, the infant pushing against his lining even harder, the backbone actually becoming more distinct to his eyes. He put up his knees, and sat his arms and head on the knees, shaking slightly, closing his eyes and listening to the silence around him. It eased him, and the slight pain lifted, giving him relief once again.

A small tapping noise was made nearby; Espio drew up his head and glanced around, through the rooms, hallways, and every hole that was around. Unsure about what the sound was, he stood back up and walked forward a few steps, and turned his head to the left, staring down the hallway he just walked through that soon tee-ed off.

A hand grasped his neck, claws poking into his skin. Espio gasped, and clinched around the invisible wrist with both hands as a reaction, while being slammed back into the wall and being choked. He struggled to keep air flowing through his body, squirming around has he was held a few inches from the ground, and watched as the hand was revealed and showed his mutant rival.

Mince smiled and stepped forward, getting close to his face, "How's my little cultivator doin'?"

Espio was able to get enough air to speak up, and glared at him, "You…you fucking bastard…"

He sneered, "You're the fucked up bastard, just so you know."

Espio growled slightly in response.

Mince then drew closer to him, still holding him against the wall, "So, what do you think about walking around with an infant in you? Not so easy now is it?"

Espio drew out his claws and tried piercing the chameleon's arm, but yet the mutant didn't even flinch.

Mince laughed slightly, "You're not escaping, and nor will the others. This base is full of experiments. And your friends won't be able to take them on all at once. And that little hole was the only escape route. Sadly now, it's been sealed off, so there's no running."

The mutant then drew even closer to where their horns touched, and smiled with pleasure, "And lastly, you won't be of use when this infant is born, you'll die the moment it rips out of your stomach, and mutates into a powerful weapon. You won't be around, and without you, your friends will also fumble down, but they will bow at our feet, and join the Dark for all eternity."

Espio then snarled, "Not unless it dies first."

The mutant's smile then grew bigger, "Then you will too…"

Espio didn't want to believe him, but knowing how serious he can go, he had to.

"Say hello to seven months due." He smiled.

Mince leaned closer, making Espio struggle even more, but the grip was solid as a rock, and there was no escape. Mince then pressed his lips with his, Espio's struggling then stopped, and like Ramaindna, the kiss was like candy, soon as Mince slipped his tongue in, he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around him.

He fell under Mince's Kiss of Dark Seduction, and at this point, Espio's mind drifted, he craved for more, and the infant inside him also cried for the pleasure that Mince was willing to give him.

_Oh god! What's happening? Why do I like this! Why?_

Espio's mind then blacked out, only to lastly feel the heat that past between them before he got to say stop.

* * *

Okay I lied, srry...

I didn't have much to finish though, but now is when I'll really focus on Start of a Hero, then get back here, be patient. Enjoy smiles


	23. Their Return

**Chapter 23:**

**Their Return**

Espio woke up, his body aching with soreness, his stomach feeling a lot more bloated, and his head grew dizzy. He sat up and leaned against a stone wall that caged in several cages that spun around Espio, all filled with his friends. He looked form left to right, Knuckles, Tails, Aaron, Rouge, himself, Sonic, Conore, Shadow, and Misty in her fox form, all were knocked out unconscious, and all were brutally bruised, none sat without a drop of blood near or on them.

Espio quickly grew scared, and put his knees up and wrapped his arms around his knees. Strangely he felt the infant's backbone against his legs, and glanced down at his stomach. His belly was like plastic, he could see the backbone clearly pressed inside him, and his stomach was slightly larger than last time, this wasn't good news at all, and wondered if he was even down seven months. What if it was five? Or four?

But he remembered Demeortris' words: "…_you'll show no shape, no emotional changes, only pain…_"

He sat confused, "If I can only feel the pain, than why am I bloating? I thought I wasn't suppose to take shape?"

He stared at his stomach for a long time, seeing that there was nothing he could do, to try anything would not only mean the infant's death, but his as well. He basically had a bomb strapped around his stomach, and if he were to kill himself, the infant might live, and break out of him. If he were to try and kill it, he'd die. If he were to let it go its way, then he'd die and the infant would live.

He sighed in distress, and lowered his legs slightly, and wrapped his arms around his stomach, able to feel the backbone of the thing press inside, and create an indent in on his belly.

He twitched.

"Espio?" Sonic's voice cracked.

Espio spun his head to the right, and seen the blue hedgehog struggle to get on his knees, his arms shaking, his body weak, and his head low. Quickly Espio scuttled over on his hands and knees, and grabbed Sonic's hand as the hedgehog collapsed back on his stomach.

Espio then lay on his stomach carefully, and stared at Sonic, "Sonic? Are you alright?"

Sonic rose his head up at him, "He has a curse, doesn't he?"

Espio stared at the hedgehog blankly, "What?"

Sonic the lay his head on his own arm, "Mince, he has some sort of seduction curse on him. The Zephyra demon-hog told Knux and me before we were knocked out. And he also said that you would die the moment the mutant's born."

Espio laid his head on his own arm, "So did Mince…"

There was a short pause between them, and a very still stillness that lingered in the air.

"AH!" Misty yelped in fright.

Both Sonic and Espio flinched and turned their heads towards the far cage, where Misty stood. She stood like she just seen a huge spider or was told something shocking, and her ears were flicked up high, and looked deeply agonized.

"NO!" Misty cried, "We're at SinVice Turret! We're never gonna get out now! NEVER!"

The two stared at her confused.

"Are you okay?" Sonic asked her, a bit more energy filled, "And how do you know where we are?"

"No I'm not!" Misty shrieked, "And there's a dark and starry sky out there! We're in the Dark's home! This place is in the middle of nowhere! We're basically dead!"

"Wait!" Sonic spoke up, "What do you mean we're in the middle of nowhere?"

The fox then sat and glared at Sonic, "SinVice Turret sits nowhere on the planet! And it also doesn't sit in space! There's absolutely no way to get out of here!"

Sonic then released Espio's hand and banged his head on the stone floor, "Crap! Crap! Crap!"

Misty cried slightly, "There's no escape…"

"One question Misty, sweetheart." Espio spoke up.

The fox then stared at Espio, "Huh?"

Espio then pushed himself from the floor and sat up to where Misty could see the infant's backbone that dented his skin, "Is this normal?"

Misty stared at his belly with lowered ears and a disgusted face, "To see one's belly be imprinted with an infant's backbone I find a bit disturbing. But sadly, yes it is, why?"

Espio then scooted himself against the wall, "Just curious."

Knuckles and Shadow then woke up, and looked around the room oddly, seeing they were somewhere that they shouldn't be in.

"Knux! Shad!" Sonic greeted.

The two spun their heads at him, "Sonic?"

Misty stared towards a wooden door, "Bastards are evil…"

The rest then awoke, and sat up, staring around the room.

"Where are we?" Tails asked, his ears up.

"We're in prison cells at a place that we shouldn't be in right now." Aaron commented.

Rouge smiled, "It's dark, that I like."

Shadow sat blankly, "So does anyone remember anything from Inchigo Base?"

"I remember Zephyra." Knuckles growled.

"I remember being attacked by experiments with Aaron." Rouge stated.

Espio the sighed and spoke, "I remember Mince…"

All of their heads spun towards him.

"What happened?" Conore asked the chameleon.

Espio took a gulp, "Rape…but it was weird…"

Knuckles raised his head, "Like how?"

The chameleon then pulled his knees towards him, "Well, at first, I was trying to escape for my life, but then after our lips came in contact, it was like, I couldn't resist, and I wanted more. More and more of him."

They all then made an ew sound, throwing out their tongues out in disgust, and twitching at his comment.

"Kiss of Dark Seduction." Aaron spoke.

"What now?" Sonic turned to the wolf.

"That's what Mince has, it's not only a gift, it's a curse." The wolf explained, "Legend has it that once the lips of the gifted on come in contact with the one without the gift, the victim then is seduced, and once they're seduced, they want not just the tongue, but the whole way. To some, if they go all the way, sometimes a infant grows within them, if timed right, you can actually have a kid after about an hour."

Misty then leaped, "ACK!"

No one spoke a word except Tails, "That would suck…"

"Ramaindna's already suffered that." Another voice spoke, breaking the conversation.

Their heads spun towards the door, and there stood Zephyra, his eyes closed, and leaning against the closed door with a sense of peace.

"You!" Knuckles growled.

Zephyra shrugged, "What? I didn't do anything that would kill you in the future."

Conore lowered his ears, "So what do you want?"

The demon-hog grunted a little, "I was suppose to come and check on you all, see if you're awake yet. And I see you all are."

Rouge rolled her eyes, "And?"

He stood and smiled, "Nothing but that. Oh! Except for one thing."

He faced Sonic, "If you were all wondering where Eggman's been, he's here if you all want to talk to him."

Misty then started growling, "No way in hell. Who knows what made him just run off for a few days."

"Too bad not a few months." Shadow stated.

The demon-hog then flicked his eyes open, and stepped away form the door, and waved it open. He grasped the door as he was heading out, then stopped.

"By the way Espio." He told him, "If you want that infant to stop pressing against your belly, just stroke the backbone, and the indent will go away."

Espio stared at the demon-hog as the door closed, and glanced down at him stomach, his skin crawling slightly with creepiness.

Sonic then poked Espio's arm, "You okay?"

Espio sighed, "No…"

Misty then tried squeezing through the bars that split her and Shadow apart but the bars were too small. She pulled herself back, bumping her head against one of the bars, and sitting back down.

"This sucks…" Tails whimpered a little, "We're all trapped in cages with a pregnant chameleon, two wares, a mutant hedgehog, and…"

Conore then flicked his ears back up and stared at Tails. Tails then instantly silenced.

"Mutant hedgehog?" Knuckles stared at the fox.

"I meant Sonic." Tails insisted with a bit of sweat starting to drip.

Sonic stared at Tails, "Since when am I a mutant hedgehog?"

"Since you bit Espio and you two just went nuts." Shadow reminded him, "You two were blood crazed and just started attacking one another like wolves. You two wanted to kill each other."

Tails nodded, "Exactly!"

Aaron rolled his eyes, "Can we discuss something that doesn't include to soon be our future death?"

"Like how to get the hell out of here?" Knuckles snapped.

Misty stared at the echidna, "Did I not already say we can't?"

Knuckles then grasped the bars, "Oh yes we can!"

He started to pull the bars apart, his muscles bulging slightly, trying his hardest to pull the black bars apart.

Misty growled slightly, "I said that we're in the middle of nowhere in the freaking galaxy! And to even set foot on this place's natural grounds, will send you spinning back into the main office, and you join the Dark without even saying goodbye! And if we were even to make it past that, there's still freaking Hellhounds! And we know how hard they are to deal with!"

Knuckles ignored the fox, and continued to try and pull the bars apart, feeling the bars give way a little, "Just shut up will ya?"

Misty then lowered her head to try and get his attention, "And besides, what if Mince was waiting right outside? You'd be in Espio's place right that second!"

Sonic then snickered a little, "And I know one thing, you wouldn't last a minute."

The echidna then stared at Sonic, 'When is there a time you actually shut up?"

The door hen started to creak open, and Tails quickly grabbed Knuckles' legs from underneath, and dragged the echidna towards his side of the cage. The echidna then quickly turned and batted the fox's hands off, and backed up against the wall. The others did the same, except Conore, Shadow, and Espio, who lied in the middle of their cells and watched the door open.

A black boot first stepped in, and then followed by a black suit with steel latches and buttons, with the black shining slightly against the moon that hid behind the clouds in the window next to Knuckles. The black suit then stepped in fully, seemingly like a trench coat, only it tapered down more in back then all around, and a familiar face was in this black suit.

Misty shrieked, "ACK! It's you!"

Sonic's eyes flew open wide in shock, "Eggman?"

The fat one then chuckled, his voice slightly deeper, and scratchier, "Long time no see."

"Since a few days ago." Tails commented.

Knuckles then sprang on his feet and shook his fist at him, "Where the hell have you been?"

Eggman turned to the echidna while shutting the door behind him, "I've been busy, having a bit of difficulty recovering from an injury I received. But doing well."

Espio then started to creep back a little farther, feeling his stomach starting to ache suddenly, and tried not to make a sound.

Eggman then turned to Conore, "I must ask, how did you escape the curse?"

The older fox growled, "That's for me to know."

Aaron growled slightly, "And why are you here?"

"I am here to take someone." The fat one sneered, "She's needed now, or worse would come."

Aaron then started to snarl, "You keep your hands off of these two! You hear me!"

Eggman laughed, "Oh, did I say she? I meant he, as in someone that's been serving us very well."

Their heads turned to Espio, ears lowered in worry and eyes still, poking at him to look up.

The chameleon crowded in the cell, bent over and holding his stomach, his infant twisting inside him, and torturing him even more. He kept flinching with each movement, and kept his head low and out of everyone's sight, not willing to look up, the pain was too bad to deal with.

Eggman smiled, "Seven months due. Just think about all the fun we'll have."

Espio curled up tighter, his body shaking from his remark.

"That though may shorten here soon." Eggman stated, walking over to his cell, and kneeling down, "Soon that weapon will not only be of our use, but so will that hedgehog of yours as well, and I'm sure she's dying to serve us."

Espio's head flicked upwards instantly, and his eyes went from gold to snake-like, making a massive snarling noise, baring his fangs and claws. In the greatest of rage, the chameleon sprung form his spot like a leopard, and attempted to attack the scientist, only to cling onto the bars, and snap at the fat one's face, making him stumble backwards and crawled backwards away from him.

Aaron was able to slip his body through the bars that held him and Rouge apart, and quickly grabbed her around the waist, and drug her back, just before Espio went ballistic, and try snapping at Rouge uncontrollably. Sonic then knew he was next, and quickly scampered backwards on his hands and feet just as the chameleon leaped form the bars on Rouge's cell to his, and snapped violently. Espio then snarled and leaped back on the floor on his hands and feet, and glared at Eggman in the position of a wolf ready to fight, his tail uncurling and whipping back and fourth as his snake-like eyes stared at his silver glasses that shielded the fat one's eyes.

Eggman then started to laugh, "So that's your weakness, huh? Is Misty really the world to you?"

Misty then lowered her ears, "To be honest actually, I don't think I am. No matter what he says."

Eggman then got back up on his feet and brushed himself off, ad smiled at Sonic, "I suggest you watch yourself. No one here is your friend anymore."

Sonic snarled, "Why should I?"

The round one smiled evilly, and fangs seemed to have formed within his smile, "Cause I'm part of the club now."

Tails crept back into a corner against Aaron's cell, and wrapped his tails around himself. Aaron seen Tails' fear in his body, and dragged the bat through the bars carefully as she was held in his arms. He scooted over to Tails, and put his arm around his shoulder to try and calm him a little. Conore and Shadow stared at the fat one with a bit of blankness and ears lowered. Knuckles and Misty only stared with wonder.

Sonic's eyes though widened, "No…how?"

Eggman then pointed to Espio, "Thank him why don't you."

Misty's ears then flicked up and started to growl at Eggman, "Where's my damn necklace you pregnant fat ass…"

Their heads looked towards her with a bit of awkwardness. Eggman though only laughed sinisterly.

"Why should I hand it back to you?" The fat one asked while kneeling at her cell, his and Misty's faces just a foot apart.

The fox glared at him as her nose almost touched his with anger, "Cause if you don't that nose of yours will be torn right off of your face and fed to the pregnant chameleon there. Now hand it over!"

Eggman laughed a little, "Well I'm not giving it up."

Misty then snarled violently, and snapped at Eggman's nose, her teeth piercing into the human's skin, and making him shout and jerk his body back, the teeth scraping the skin off of his nose, and tearing the skin right off, and his nose bled extraordinarily. Shadow stared at the fox with a bit of weirdness, while the others smiled and laughed slightly thanks to Misty's attack. Eggman grasped his nose with both hands, to try and stop the blood that dripped like raindrops on the stone ground, and howled slightly in pain.

Misty then spit out a small thin sheet of his skin and snarled at him, "Now if ya don't hand over my necklace now, your ass will be fried to a crisp, and you'll have nothing to sit on except those stupid chicken legs! Now hand it over damn it!"

Eggman growled faintly while trying to stop his nose form bleeding, He then reached down into a pocket, and pulled out a black choker with a peace sign on it filled with a blue, red, green, and yellow jewel within the symbol and chucked it at her.

The necklace reached her cell, and slid to her feet, quickly she snapped it from the floor, and in an instant she shifted to her hedgehog form.

"Thank you." The hedgehog growled.

Eggman didn't speak, and walked out the door, and closed it behind him.

Sonic flicked his head at her, "Wow, you get pissed off pretty quickly."

Misty glanced at him, "It's Eggman, I hate him with a passion, and I'd do anything to actually see him dead."

Knuckles laughed, "I think we all now hate him with a passion."

Tails nodded, "But did you hear what he said?"

Shadow looked at Tails, "About joining the club? What was that about?"

Conore turned to Shadow, "I means he's also now a mutant, and just by his voice, he's a little more of a handful now, and will be a bigger problem."

Rouge nodded, "And so will Espio."

They turned to the chameleon, and seen Espio curled up on the floor like a cat, sleeping, and not feeling disturbed.

Knuckles stared a little with worry, "So what made him go ballistic?"

"I think it's that infant." Tails thought, "Maybe it's like an adrenaline stimulant. If Espio feels somewhat threatened or gets mad, he looses control of his body and goes crazy."

Misty whimpered a little, her ears lowering, "Eh, good to be reminded again."

Aaron stared at the female hedgehog, "Oh just quit whining will ya?"

Shadow turned to Tails, "So how can Espio return to a normal state without shredding us up?"

"Or mutate us." Conore reminded.

Sonic twitched slightly, "Or worse…"

Rouge then slipped from Aaron's grip and crowed herself in the corner, "I really wish I was dreaming right now, I don't like this at all."

Tails faced Rouge annoyingly, "I don't think any of us do."

Aaron sighed a little from Tails' remark, faced downward to his feet, and spotted a small rock just beside him. In that instant, his head filled itself with an idea, making the wolf swipe the rock, stand up, and faced the napping chameleon, the rock in his left hand, ready to throw it.

Conore gritted his teeth, "Are you serious Aaron?"

Aaron smiled, "This ought to make the bastard snap out of it."

Knuckles growled slightly, "I don't like the looks of this."

The wolf reared his hand back, and then shot it forward like a slingshot towards Espio, the rock flying straight between the bars with speed and accuracy. Just a second away from Espio's body, the chameleon's snake-like eyes flicked open, spotting the rock aiming towards his side. The chameleon swiftly then spun around, swinging his uncurled tail around, and batted the rock back away from where it came from.

Next thing the wolf knew, the rock smacked him on the forehead, and knocked him over off of his feet from the intense pain that sting like a bee. They all stared with shocked expressions at Aaron, while the chameleon snorted slightly, and curled back up in the original position of napping again.

The wolf grasped his head with both hands in agony, "OUCH! That flippin' HURT!"

Shadow then started to laugh hysterically, "Hahaha! Serves you right! After smacking me with a bar!"

Rouge strolled over and knelt down beside the wolf, and stared, "Are you okay?"

Aaron whimpered slightly, and removed his hand off of his forehead, seeing a few red drops on his hand, "The son of a bitch made me bleed!"

Tails lowered his ears, "I don't think anyone else would've seen it coming either."

Misty rolled her eyes, "I would've."

Sonic stared at her, "Well of course! You're the telepath!"

Misty shrugged.

Knuckles then turned his head towards the door in alert, "Shush! Someone's coming."

"Five bucks it's Mince." Aaron grunted slightly, rubbing his head.

All silenced instantly after Aaron's comment, and sat in the cells in their corners, waiting to see who was to come. Sonic flicked his ears up to listen to the footsteps, but only heard voices instead. The voices drew closer to where they were heard just on the other side of the door.

"The footsteps stopped," Tails commented, "I don't hear anything."

Sonic tuned the others out, and listened to the voices.

"I told u already damn it!" a female voice shouted, "You weren't suppose to touch her, and you did! Then you touch Espio! Then Amy! Then me! Next one will cost you that curse of yours!"

"Well excuse me Ramaindna!" the sound of Mince's voice snapped, "And how the hell did you know I have a curse?"

"Trust me Mince," Ramaindna clamed slightly, "I know, and you don't need to know how."

"Oh yes I do now." Mince growled, "What kind of curse is it?"

"Damn it! I don't have time for time to be wasted!" Ramaindna snarled.

"Just answer the question!" Mince snarled back.

There was a bit of a pause, then a slight grunt, "Fine, it's the Kiss of Dark Seduction, I gave it to you a few years ago back at the labs where you should've became a hobbit!"

Sonic then perked his head up, "Huh?"

"What are you talking about?" Mince growled.

"You know how Demeortris said we had history?" Ramaindna reminded the chameleon.

"No." Mince snapped.

"I'M KLAIRA DAMN IT!" Ramaindna shouted loudly, "For a fucking six years have I wondered what the hell happened to that corpse of yours just after Misty, Samiria, and Espio escaped! And do you want to know why I left you even way before that?"

Sonic then spun to Misty, "You know of this?"

Misty stared, "What?"

Sonic stared blankly at her, then returned to listen to the two again.

"No Klaira! Explain." Mince ordered.

"I was pregnant with your child!" Klaira announced, "And ever since you made that deal, there was no way I could tell you."

"So you left me because of it?" Mince asked, "I could've stayed Klaira!"

"None of this would've happened then!" Klaira snapped, "Otherwise then, Kido would have to face the fact that you're his father!"

Sonic sat blankly still.

Conore spun his head towards Sonic, "Are you okay?"

The blue hedgehog nodded slightly, "Yes, I think…"

"Look," Mince calmed down, "We've been through enough, leave me alone."

"Over my dead body Mince!" Klaira snapped, "You're not going to do any more torture, and I'll make sure of it!"

"No Ramaindna." The voice of Quazaireon interrupted, "I'll do that for your sake."

Klaira sighed, "Quazaireon, I'm not Ramaindna, I'm Klaira."

There was another pause, then Quazaireon's voice again, "Mince's girlfriend? WHAT THE HELL!"

The two quickly silenced the dark one making him even more annoyed than ever.

"You mean to tell me, Klaira," Quazaireon snarled slightly, "For a freaking twenty-six years, you were still making love to this idiot? What is wrong with you?"

"No!" Mince insisted, "We've broken up that many years ago, then about sixteen years ago, then ten years, we met up again, and that's that."

"Then six years ago," Klaira added, "I met him back at the lab that was shut down, and gave him that damn curse which I wished I never gave up, just after Misty, Espio, and Samiria escaped."

Quazaireon stared, "So you've been lying to us since he joined?"

"Yes." Klaira sighed.

"Well," Quazaireon sighed, "I'll be nice for once and keep this between the three of us, and-"

"Zephyra knows." The two lovers said.

"Okay then…" Quazaireon growled, "Mince, go inside and get Sonic, will ya?"

"Will do." Mince nodded.

Klaira and Quazaireon nodded, and walked away from the chameleon as he opened the door, and walked inside.

"You!" Sonic snapped, "What do you want?"

Mince stared at the hedgehog, "You. And only you."

Sonic's eyes flickered gold and started to snarl, his claws drawn out and back arched, "You stay away from us, you hear! Now let us all out!"

Mince only stared at the hedgehog, "That won't do you any good, cause if you were to set foot on the Turret's grounds, you're instantly a Dark member, and there's no turning back."

Sonic continued to snarl, "I don't care, you just leave us alone!"

Knuckles turned to Sonic, "Unless you want to end up like Espio, just do what he says."

Sonic stared at Knuckles, and hissed slightly, "Shut up Knuckles…"

Aaron also stared at Sonic, "Just do it damn it."

Mince smiled slightly, "You'd better listen to your friends if you know what's best for you."

Sonic's snarl then lowered to a growl, and his claws disappeared, but his gold eyes remained, "Fine, if that's how you all want it."

Mince nodded and waved his hand over the cell's lock, unlocking the cell. Sonic felt like he was ready to dash out from the cage, but as the door opened, a steel collar appeared around his neck, and cuffs chained together also appeared out of nowhere on his feet and hands. Sonic stood normally then, seeing that there was no escape, and walked beside Mince out the door, as Mince turned and closed the door behind them.


	24. Another Soul Suffering

**Chapter 24:**

**Another Soul Suffering**

Sonic became very uneasy as he was lead down the stone hallway, having the chain that attached to his collar was a bit disturbing, giving the hedgehog a slight shiver in his spine. Seeing the mutant chameleon's tail sway back and forth with a smooth flow, the chameleon's steady pace, and the chain that gripped in his hands didn't help the hedgehog either. It seemed like a long walk, Sonic's feet quickly grew sore, and his body seemed to slowly be drained from the darkness that loomed within this place, his eyes felt heavy, his back getting stiffer, it felt like an unseen force was pushing him harder and harder towards the ground with each step he took.

The chameleon quickly stopped his trail, and turned left towards a dark door, almost a black, and pushed it open, tugging on Sonic's chain briskly as he entered. The blue one let out a small couch of hurt, even though it was a small tug, it was strangely painful. The hedgehog quickly entered, with the door closing behind him magically, the chain restraints and collar vanished, giving Sonic some relief, but not enough to feel any better. Sonic didn't bother looking at his hands and feet to see if they were free, and stood feet away from the door, watching Mince walk towards a black table on the other side of the large room.

"You're a very impressive hedgehog Sonic." Mince commented, "That ring's doing you no good though."

Sonic's face flashed into a stun, "How do you know?"

Mince laughed a little, "That's really a Dark's work, not of the Light's. The only thing it's doing is doing torture on you. That little mutation you suffered back at Motor City was only a flaw of what Misty gave you."

Sonic growled slightly, "And why would you know this?"

Mince snorted, "As if you'd want to know."

The blue hedgehog stepped forward a little, still watching the chameleon diddle at the table, allowing his eyes to gleam gold.

"Don't even think about it Sonic." Mince warned, "It may be the last thing you do."

Sonic's eyes flashed back to green, and stared at him, "Who the hell are you?"

Mince spun around and leaned against the table crossing his arms, "The question is, who are you?"

Sonic felt a bit intimidated, and growled, "Knock it off…"

Mince smiled, "Why I say that is because you change heart a lot more than you used to."

Sonic sighed, "That's all behind us, so what?"

Mince's smile went to a grin, "You'd better watch yourself if you know what's best for you."

Sonic's ears flicked up, and remembered the conversation outside the cells that he heard between him and Ramaindna, and smiled as Mince spun back around.

"So you still love Klaira?"

Mince froze in his position, staring down at the table, and clinched his hands on the side of the table, and his back arched, "You know…"

"I heard you." Sonic sneered, "So how long have you known each other?"

There was a faint scratchy growl Sonic heard, and stared at the chameleon, seeing Mince's head slightly turned.

"Don't even go there Sonic…"

Sonic shrugged, "Well, basically what I'm asking, is really, without knowing, you just raped your old girlfriend just for the hell of it, not realizing that it was the same one from many years ago. And on top of that, impregnated her? Come on! How could you not know?"

Mince's growl then slowly grew into a deep snarl, Sonic was pushing the chameleon's anger to the point of outrage, and Sonic knew if he'd keep pushing, Mince would spin around, and kill him on the spot. Sonic didn't feel afraid at this point, feeling strength rebuild inside him.

The brown chameleon slowly turned to the hedgehog, his eyes flickering into the black with red slits, signifying Sonic's doom.

"Unless you want to live," Mince snarled, "Keep on yapping your mouth around about her and I, and the last thing you'll speak of will be the cry of pain."

Sonic grinned, "That's if you can catch me."

Mince then didn't feel so threatened, and turned his head back slowly towards the table, "You're such a fool, impressive, but yet a fool."

Sonic snorted slightly in amusement, watching as the chameleon diddled at the table a bit more. Though he had no idea what the chameleon was doing, he continued to stand, and didn't even try the door, thinking a Spellock as already locked them inside. Mince twirled around, his hands empty oddly, and stepped towards the hedgehog.

"Do you think that you can walk out of here without a mark?" Mince asked, stopping just feet away, and cocking his head slightly.

Sonic went to the right slightly while walking backwards, "I don't believe it, but I could."

Mince grinned devilishly, "Well, you won't."

Sonic gawked at him, wondering what was to happen next to him. The chameleon then started to walk closer to the hedgehog, pushing Sonic backwards even more, his hands put behind his back, and smiled evilly as Mince made the hedgehog walk backwards. Sonic kept his eyes on the chameleon, his back quickly trickling with coldness with small pebbles stabbing into his back. Sonic slapped his hands to his sides, smacking them into the stone wall behind him, and realized he just screwed himself over.

Mince drew close and gripped the hedgehog's chin, and stared, "You'd better start thinking about Espio's condition more than anything at this time Sonic."

Sonic growled slightly, feeling the cold wall behind him cool his body slowly.

Mince smiled, "He won't be alone now."

Sonic drew his mouth open to speak, but to only scream out a cry of pain, feeling something sharp stab into his stomach. Mince's hand then went down to Sonic's shoulder, allowing the hedgehog to stared down, and see an injection stabbed into him, making his stomach bleed, and made veins around the stab wound become visible against his skin. The chameleon drew the injection away, tossing it aside from where they stood, keeping a soiled smile on the hedgehog's agonizing face.

"You though, it'll be quick, but painful." Mince continued grinning.

Sonic's stomach seemed to pulsate, the inside feeling pressure inside his stomach, pain growing much worse, and a strange indent on his belly formed that illustrated a spinal cord look, like it was a backbone of something. Sonic's mouth dropped, and tears filled his face instantly, already able to feel the weight of whatever it was inside him squirm around. The indent then disappeared, his stomach starting to do flips inside, making Sonic wanting to throw up, and could feel his muscles inside him grow, and slowly so did his belly.

Mince then pressed his lips against Sonic's, and hurriedly slipped his tongue inside Sonic's mouth. The hedgehog's pain then seemed to drift away, but also the kiss drew his mind to complete obsession, Sonic's agony then turned to lust, and swiftly wrapped his arms around him.

_What? No! NO! What's happening? Oh my god! Why is this so great? No! I…can't…resist! Too…good!_

Sonic closed his eyes, the heat between them grew hotter and hotter, and the hedgehog's mind slowly shifted forcefully, there was nothing that could now make Sonic resist.

_Oh Mince! Oh god! Please, I need more! Please!_

_---------------------------_

Misty lowered her ears and whimpered slightly, "Crap, we just lost Sonic."

Tails quickly stood up on his feet and gripped the bars, "What? How? How do you know?"

Misty gulped heavily, "He's also fallen under the Kiss of Dark Seduction."

Aaron growled loudly in frustration, "AH! What are we going to do? We're all going to suffer this now!"

Knuckles quickly shook up, "No shit, we're doomed."

"There's no freakin' escape!" Aaron howled, "It's like being trapped on a desert island! There's nothing we can do!"

Conore glared at the wolf, "Just calm down, something will pop up, like it always does."

Shadow stared at Conore, "Like how? How would we get out of here?"

Misty blinked, and smiled, "I lied."

"Huh?" Rouge stared.

Misty then put out her hand, and opened it, in her hand was a strange watch that had strange markings on it.

Aaron sprung to his feet, "The Watch of Cur-"

Rouge quickly stood up and slapped her hand on Aaron's mouth, silencing the wolf instantly, "Shut it Aaron! Someone could be standing outside listening."

Misty nodded, "I'm such a good liar."

Conore rolled his eyes, "In some cases."

Tails blinked clueless, "So how are we gonna get out of here with everyone and without being noticed?"

Misty quickly slipped away the watch, "I haven't really thought about that yet."

Knuckles then stood up and pointed towards Espio, who still napped in the cell, "What about him?"

"I ain't touchin' him." Aaron commented, "That rock gave enough proof of how much pain I could suffer sooner or later."

Rouge turned and also stared at Espio, "I ain't doin' it, he's too fast for me."

Tails sat back by Aaron, "Neither am I."

"Nope." Conore refused strongly, "And I know you Misty won't do it, so it's between Shadow and Knux."

The two stared at one another with dark glares, determined to put the other one into the cell with the chameleon.

"Rock paper scissors." Shadow demanded.

Knuckles then bring out his right fist and stuck it out of the cell, "Best out of three stays safe."

Shadow also stuck his fist out, and the two shook their hands three times.

"Rock paper scissors!"

Shadow held out his hand flat, while Knuckles held his hand out with half of his glove poked out for the gesture of scissors.

"One Knux, zero Shad." Tails announced.

The two then went to round two, and the three shook three times again.

"Rock paper scissors!"

Shadow held his hand out in a fist, and Knuckles put out the same hand gesture for scissors.

"One Shad, one Knux." Misty reminded, "Loser faces Espio."

Both opponents growled slightly, and shook their fists a final round.

Both held their fists tightly, the gesture for rock. They growled slightly in irritation, and shook again, tension rising between the two slowly, and their next gestures were both scissors. They tried once again, the same thing occurred, rock.

Rock, scissors, rock, paper, scissors, paper, scissors, rock, it felt like it went on for at least five minutes, growling more loudly with each tie.

Knuckles then put out a gesture for rock against Shadow's gesture for scissors.

"Ha!" Knuckles barked, "You have to take on Espio!"

Misty's ears then perked up, and shifted to her fox form, "Um, does anyone remember what would happen if one of Espio's Serpents launched at one of us?"

After the fox stopped, it was total silence, silence of mistake, the silence of doom.

Shadow stared at her, "What happens?"

Aaron pointed at Conore, "He nearly mutated until I saved him."

Knuckles slouched, "Is there any other way we can take care of Espio without being screwed over?"

Tails' ears then flicked upwards, and his head bounced up and stared straight at Misty, "Do you have any sort of fish?"

Misty gawked at him, "Fish? Why fish?"

"Just trust me!" Tails smiled, "I know how we can all tackle him before he gets the chance to even think about attacking."

"If anyone's gonna toss a fish, it'll be me." Knuckles insisted.

"And I have fish with me." Misty smiled, "I like where you're going."

Conore stared at Misty, "Since when do you carry fish in the necklace?"

Misty smiled and poked at her necklace once, "I love fish. Feeesh!"

Rouge tapped her fingers on the ground, "But what about the cells that we're all incased in? I know not all of us with be able to squeeze out or in."

Misty then stopped, "Damn it…"

"Couldn't we just toss an infected fish in his cell?" Aaron thought.

Knuckles glared at the wolf, "What do you mean by infected?"

Aaron shrugged, "I'd thought someone would have an idea."

Before anyone could open up their mouths, screeching sound echoed into the cell, an immense screeching that lasted for about five seconds. Their heads stood still, listening to the screeching, trying to figure out what made the screeching noise.

Tails lowered his ears, "Um, what was that?"

Conore's ears also went low, "That's something that you don't hear everyday."

Rouge scooted close to Aaron, and intentionally grabbing his wrist, "I don't like it at all."

Shadow shook his head, "I don't think anyone does."

Knuckles scooted against the wall behind him and gripped his knees, "That also sounded close."

"Well it couldn't be a Hellhound." Aaron commented, "They howl, not screech, and that also couldn't be an Echorodon, those screeches are deeper."

"What now?" Tails stared at Aaron.

"It's a snake-echidna cross-over, kinda like Medusa." Aaron tried to explain.

Conore shook his head, "If anything, I'd bet it was Mince."

"Unless Sonic somehow escaped and shot Mince in the head," Misty stated, "Then why would the bastard screech?"

Sonic's cell then screeched open strangely; their heads then spun towards it and stared with wonder, seeing that something made the cell's door move outward.

Shadow blinked, "Um, did that just open by itself?"

The main door then slammed open, and everyone jumped in fright from the sudden entrance, quickly pushed back to the walls and shook in their places. In entered Zephyra, who carried a blue body on his shoulders, blood trailing down the demon-hog's back and arm. As he stepped in front of the cage, Tails' voice burst in the air with instant distress.

"Sonic!" Tails cried.

Zephyra ignored the fox's cry, and laid Sonic's body in the center of the empty cell, leaving the hedgehog on his side and turned away from Conore's view. The demon-hog then locked the cell shut, and started to walk towards the door.

"What did he do!" Knuckles snapped.

Zephyra stopped, and brushed off some of the blood, "I'm sorry, but I don't know. All I know is that Sonic's barely alive."

The demon-hog then left the room, leaving the rest speechless as they stared at Sonic, wondering if the hedgehog was still even alive.

_---------------------------_

"…onic…Sonic?"

Sonic blinked a few times, lying on his side in a blackness, he groaned in pain, his body aching everywhere, mainly his lower body, and had no idea what just happened. The hedgehog pushed himself up off of his side, sitting on his hands and knees, and glanced around to only see blackness. He though could see himself, no wound, and no blood, it was weird, but the voice was even weirder.

"Sonic? Are you alright?" a female voice asked him.

Sonic pulled his head up in front of him, and spotted a familiar female hedgehog standing in front of him. Black, with markings that alternated depending on light, and her black fur that alternated colored highlights.

"Ra-Ramaindna?" Sonic spoke weakly, "Where am I?"

The dark one closed her eyes, "A place I call peace in blackness. But that is nothing of importance."

Sonic stared at her for a moment, then pushed up onto his feet, when he though just get a few inches from his start, his legs shook violently, and pain rushed through the hedgehog in an instant, making him lose balance, and fall over on his side. Ramaindna watched his struggle to get up, and sighed in sorrow, and held out her hand.

"Just sit." She advised.

Sonic nodded, "Why am I in so much pain though?"

The hedgehog took a deep breath, "You were raped."

Sonic's eyes flashed gold in shock, staring at her with distress, "W-WHAT?"

She nodded, "Do you remember your friends mentioning the Kiss of Dark Seduction?"

Sonic lowered his ears, "That's why I can't remember anything?"

She nodded, "Yes, but that isn't why you're in so much pain."

Sonic continued to stare, "What is it?"

The female then sat down with her legs crossed, folded her hands, and set her head on her fists, "Here's what happened, Mince injected you with a growth stimulant. This growth stimulant also contained a fertilized egg, that was only to hatch when put into a living body."

Sonic's eyes grew smaller, "And…"

"When that and the stimulant entered your belly," She continued, "the egg then started to rapidly grow, basically putting you into Espio's position, but in a much quicker fashion. The stimulant though worked to the extent that the body can take. To help this embryo grow even more, and since Mince is a mutant of great power, he used the Kiss of Dark Seduction against you. Once you fell fully under this, your body's DNA was tainted by Mince's therefore, making the creature inside grow within you."

Sonic's mouth dropped slightly, "Then what happened to this…thing?"

"It's been born." Ramaindna quickly said.

Sonic's mouth dropped lower, "A-Are you serious?"

She nodded, "Yes, I am."

The female then stepped back a few steps away from the hedgehog, "Your friends call to you, you must tell them."

Sonic nodded with worry in his eyes. Ramaindna then nodded back, and swiftly snapped her fingers.

_---------------------------_

Sonic's nearly lifeless body jolted upwards, the blue hedgehog gasping for air as if he has just surfaced from being underwater. Sonic coughed heavily, his stomach and lower body throbbing with pain that was too much to bear with. He rolled to his side and curled up into a tight ball, hoping the intense pain would go away. Everyone else stared at the hedgehog with concern; desperate to ask questions about what had happened to the poor hedgehog as he lay still on the cold ground.

"Sonic! Are you alright?" Rouge asked.

"What happened?" Espio spoke with a weak voice.

Tails' head then spun to Espio, "Since when did you just snap out of the insanity?"

"About a minute ago, I just woke up." Espio stated, "I don't know why but..."

The chameleon then stopped talking, and stared at Sonic's back, seeing blood streak up his back, arms, and almost his whole legs. The chameleon's mouth dropped with a bit of shock, able to sniff a fragrance that seemed to tattoo in his head, and gave him the instant answer of what had just happened to the hedgehog.

"Y-You also suffered?" Espio asked Sonic.

Sonic turned his head slightly to Espio, "How do you know what happened."

Misty, in her fox form again, then covered her nose, "I know how, the blood's gotta different whiff to it."

Tails' ears lowered, "Didn't need to know-WHAT?"

Sonic twitched, "Don't remind me, please..."

Shadow nodded, and lowered his ears, "So who's next?"

The red echidna then gave Shadow a dark glare, "Shut it Blackhead!"

Rouge nodded, "Yes, please do!"

Tails then quickly went into a ball and curled up tightly like Sonic, "Not me, please anyone but me."

Conore growled slightly with irritation, "Unless some miracle happens, everyone's gonna suffer."

"I haven't even hit puberty yet!" Tails yelped, "So why me?"

The group sighed with annoyance.

_---------------------------_

Zephyra paced the halls with boredom, seeing blackness everywhere, maybe a few highlights from the moon that shined through the barricaded windows, but that was it. The demon-hog grew furious of Mince's plan, of what he was doing next, and gripped his fists tightly with fierceness. A scuttling sound echoed down the hallway, and made the demon-hog stop, listening to the scuttling that drew close to him, he could hear it very clearly, but he couldn't see what was making the noise.

It wasn't Mince, cause of what he got himself into, he can't move an inch, too much out of breath thankfully. It wouldn't be Ramaindna, she doesn't just scuttle through the hallways, she wore either heels or boots. And not Quazaireon, the creature's purple highlights would've shined to brighten up the halls a little. Not Demeortris, he continued to sit in the main meeting room. And lastly, it wouldn't be anything of the Dark's work, nothing scuttled in the halls without being warned by Hasanik.

What was it?

A light hissing noise was made directly in front of the demon-hog's face, Zephyra froze stiff, and stood in place of where he stood, his violet eyes then shifting to a very dark blue in a bit of fright. He then closed his eyes, and the quills marked with a neon green glowed brightly, so he could see exactly what was making the sounds. The hissing then grew into a loud screech that made him leap backwards, and flick his eyes open.

Running towards him was a massive but slim chameleon and hedgehog hybrid creature with fangs bared out, tail whipping back and forth, and muscles that showed more than the skin colored a dark red. Zephyra yelped in shock quickly leaping to the side to avoid the creature's leap with black eyes and claws that nearly pierced him still and dead. The creature landed, but swiftly spun around and smacked the demon-hog with its slim tail, and knocked Zephyra to the stone ground, his face smacked by the very end of the tail. The thing then screeched at him and started to walk closer as Zephyra struggled to get up.

A red flash flew over Zephyra's head, and struck the creature's face, making the thing turn and run in an instant. The demon-hog continued to sit with his face down and his arms covering his neck, and sat still, hearing the creature run off.

"Zephyra." Ramaindna's voice spoke above him.

The demon-hog then glanced up, and stared at her, "Ramaindna?"

She then lent a hand to the demon-hog, pulling the stunned one back onto his feet.

"What the fuck was that?" Zephyra complained with a slightly higher voice, still in fear.

The female turned and stared at him, "Did you not see what it looked like?"

The demon-hog gawked at her with confusion.

"It's Mince's work." She stated, "Sonic helped with it."

The blue and green hedgehog jumped a little in shock, "What!"

She nodded.

"Why that son of a biatch!" He snarled, "That thing nearly tried to eat me alive!"

"It's been following me until you were near." She stated, "And it was really starting to bug me."

The demon-hog shivered as he spun his head over his shoulder, "I don't blame ya."

* * *

Okay, I'm hoping to end this at Chapter 26, like the first one XDDD 

Also, for a few days I lost access to Word, but got it back (srry Zinnah for not getting to you), but that's why I wasn't able to update this story for a bit. It's now back, and it's screwed up my whole system XP

btw, if you want to be featured in Alien Massecre, I'm willing to offer two spots. E-mail me if ya want to be featured, and we'll talk.

Onto Chapter 25!


	25. Three's a Plan

**Chapter 25:**

**Three's a Plan**

They all lied on their backs and stared at the crumbling ceiling with boredom, their eyes about ready to shut for sleep from all the stress and excitement that has occurred within that hour. Aaron, Rouge, and Tails all somehow managed to squeeze into Espio's cell, then Sonic's, then into Conore's cell, where they felt most safe, their bodies feeling a bit sore from squeezing through the bars.

Sonic sighed, "What are we gonna do?"

Espio closed his eyes to think about Sonic's question, and to tune out his placement in the Turret, "If a miracle would just happen, and free us all."

"Yeah, we could really use it right now." Knuckles moaned.

They all then sighed with no hope in their sigh.

Sonic then turned his head, peering through Conore and Shadow's cell into Misty's, "Hey Mist."

The fox spun her head to the hedgehog, "Yersh."

"Just one random question that came to thought." Sonic mentioned, "What would you do if Mince was your father?"

The fox stared at him with a stunned look, "Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said." Sonic stated, closing his eyes.

"I'd fall over dead." Misty blinked, "I'd fall over dead and rot to the bone. I wouldn't be able to take it." Misty then flicked her ears up, and stared at Sonic with curiosity in her expression, wondering with questions, "Why do you ask..."

Sonic shrugged, "Just something that popped."

The fox's ears lowered and her eyes widened with distress, "He ain't really my father is he?"

Conore's ears then flicked up, "If he was, then that make me his nephew!"

"And me!" Tails shrieked.

Sonic then sat up and tried to calm them down, "No no no no! I was just wondering cause I noticed that you two both seem to have something in common."

The fox then raised her head and glared, "Not helping."

"Can we please talk about something else?" Rouge begged, "I can't stand hearing his name again and again."

"We've only said it like once though." Shadow stated.

The bat flicked her head and stared at Shadow with a bit of rage, "You know what I mean."

Aaron then spoke up, "Yeah, can we? Like about something that we can all laugh at."

Misty then spun her head at Aaron, "If there was something I would laugh at, it'd be the fact that hiring Mince was the worst thing they've ever-"

A loud snarling noise then busted through the door and a snap sound made the fox leap in fright, hearing the bars in front of her rattle wildly by the source of the snarling. The fox quickly ran back against the wall and started to growl at what appeared to be a chameleon hedgehog hybrid creature, looking like it had no skin, and just muscle.

Everyone else yelped in fright and scuttled back against the wall in fear, seeing the creature go to each cell and tried breaking through the cell doors one by one, and snapped wildly at them. It then came to Sonic and Espio, though in separate cells, they were close together, making the cells look like one huge cell, and started to pace back and forth. The boys' eyes watched the creature pace eagerly in front of the cages, moving like a cat, low to the ground and red eyes with black slits, like Mince's eyes when he turned.

Sonic's eyes flickered gold in alert, and stared at the mutant with disbelief, unable to even think of where the thing came from. The hedgehog backed up against the wall, and shook violently, to know what it was, to know the pain, to remember everything, it was starting to make Sonic's body shake even more violent. He couldn't take it, his heart sank in depression, and was about ready to sob with his life.

"So it knows." The sinister voice returned.

Everyone's heads spun back to the door, there stood Mince.

Misty leaped to her feet, and started to snarl in anger, "You get out of here you hear! Get! Go away!"

The chameleon smiled, "It won't work on me Misty."

Misty continued to snarl, with her teeth bared out like a wolf.

The mutant chameleon then faced Espio, and his eyes glowed red, "Make her shift."

Espio's eyes then flickered red, his mind distorting for a split second, without control, he forced Misty into her hedgehog form.

Misty yelped slightly, "Ack! Not again!"

Knuckles then started to shake on the bars, demanding to be released, "You get us the hell out! You hear? Now release us!"

Mince smiled, "Oh no I won't. Not until she's served me."

The female hedgehog stared with worry, flicking her head back over to Espio, to see the chameleon grasp his head in pain.

"Or." Mince sneered, "Tails might do."

Tails' face went instantly white, his legs shaking violently with fear, and eyes gone almost to nothing. His brother, Conore, seen Mince's comment as a deep threat. The fox snarled wildly, shifted to his ware form, and attempted to charge at the evil one and rip him to shreds. The werefox's body only collided with the bars, and the fox snarled in vein, warning the chameleon of his idea.

Mince only smirked, "Then again, I guess Misty will do fine."

The hedgehog started to panic slightly.

Mince's eyes glowed red again, and his grin grew big, "After Misty."

Sonic's cage opened, and the blue hedgehog's mind instantly shut down, leaving Sonic no control of his body. The hedgehog's eyes then flickered to the crazy red, and he bolted out on all fours, snarling wildly. Misty's cage door then flew open, and the wild Sonic leaped inside with lust, as the door then shut the two inside.

Misty knew if she'd tried to shift again, it may be her last try, and stayed in her hedgehog form, not too scared of the crazed hedgehog. Mince's eyes flickered red again, and Misty's hands were quickly entangled by cuffs attached to the wall, securing her still. The hedgehog knew then she was doomed.

Shadow bolted to get into her cage and save her, only to be thrown back by a barrier that electrified him, and threw him back into the other bars. Knuckles was just straight across from Misty's cage, but knew no way to get to her. The other five were left to watch, unable to help her.

"Rape her." Mince ordered the crazed Sonic.

The hedgehog then stood on his feet, his eyes still blazing red, and walked to Misty, claws and fangs drawn out, and grasped her tightly on the arms. The female knew what was to happen next, and it had to be done in front of everyone, which turned into a displeasing thought, and she couldn't shake it out.

Sonic then pressed his lips with hers, shutting her faint whines up, and forced the female to cooperate, and kiss back. The blue one then slipped his tongue into her mouth, and Misty's mind went instantly blank with nothingness, and she also slipped her tongue into his by force.

Wind started to stir up in the room strangely, cooling the intense heat that seemed to freeze in the air, blowing it away some.

"Over my dead body Mince!" an older voice snapped out of nowhere.

Mince lost concentration on Sonic, and flicked his head around to see if it was maybe Zephyra going against him once again. Sonic's eyes then shifted back to emerald green, and the hedgehog collapsed onto the floor, leaving Misty still attached to the wall by the cuffs.

A silver whip then appeared out of nowhere, and whipped around, smacking Mince's face with a loud smack, and forcing the chameleon to stumble and crash into the wall beside him. Mince screeched with pain, blood instantly draining from his face, he wiped some of the bleeding blood off, with rage, and struggled to get back up onto his feet.

The silver whip sustained in air then lowered downwards, the handle still in air, connecting to a figure that unsheathed himself from his camouflage. A silver chameleon about Mince's age stood with a black trench coat, and two large scars across his right eye.

Espio's mouth dropped in a heartbeat, "No…"

Misty also did the same, and gawked at the chameleon with amazement, "I'm dreaming…"

Mince snarled slightly while getting back on his feet, "No, it can't be! You were suppose to be dead!"

The silver chameleon grinned with fangs poking from his smile, "You're wrong brother."

Aaron's ears then perked up, knowing exactly who it was, "Darren!"

Sonic sat up and stared at the wolf, "Mince has a brother?"

Knuckles then leaped to his feet, and grabbed the bars, "Okay! Now get us out! Now!"

Darren glanced at the echidna, "Not until I'm finished with Mince."

Mince then grinned evilly, his bloody face glowing with happiness, "It's a bit late for that."

Misty was able to shift to her fox form, and slip out of the cuffs, then pointed to Espio, "Which reminds me, Horny here's gotta big problem."

Darren didn't even bother turning his head behind him to see Espio's problem still indenting his stomach, and whipped his silver weapon back around, and smacked his brother across the face again. Mince screeched loudly again, and fell back on the ground, clinching his face with agony from the whip's attack.

"Too bad this whip has the blades on it." Darren growled, "And too bad they weren't sharper, I'd slice that head off after what you'd tried pulling off back then!"

Tails stared at the chameleon's whip awkwardly, "Blades?"

"Microscopic blades." Misty reminded, "I've seen him use it before, he can slice someone in half if he was desperate with one lash."

Rouge gulped, "Not good…"

Darren then wrapped his whip up carefully, and attached it to his belt, then stomped over to his brother, and grabbed him with claws that pierced his skin so deep, the claws had strength to pull Mince up without breaking. Darren then forced the chameleon against the wall, and clinched tighter, making more blood slowly drain from the pierced skin of Mince's.

"You have five seconds to explain to me why you did it to Espio." Darren snarled.

Mince shrugged carelessly, "Help for the Dark, why would you care?"

Darren gritted his teeth, "You're so fucking lucky I wasn't there when this happened. You would've gotten a taste of your own medicine!"

"I already got a taste of it just a few minutes ago!" Mince snapped.

Everyone then grew silent, and stared at Sonic.

Sonic blinked, "But Klaira told me that-"

Misty then quickly slapped her hand over the hedgehog's mouth, silencing him before he could finish.

"Too late." Espio stared.

Darren then clinched tighter, eyes then turning black with instead of red slits, blue slits, "She's here!?!?"

Mince gritted his teeth in pain, feeling Darren's claws scraping against his bone, and tried to bare with it, "I just figured that out not to long ago."

Sonic then smacked Misty's hand away and stood up, "You ALSO did the same to her! Now unless you want more chaos, LET US OUT!"

Darren growl deepened, "Klaira, also…"

Mince's eyes then flickered to black and red slits, "If you want a taste, come and get it."

Darren then snarled loudly, and threw Mince to the ground violently, and the two brothers within seconds already started to make huge claw marks into each other's skin. The two rolled on the ground, scratching each other's faces, biting each other's shoulders, smashing them into the cells that contained the prisoners. Mince's keys then fell off of the belt he wore, and clinked towards the cell with Tails. The fox's ears instantly flickered up, and he scuttled towards it as fast as he could, reaching his arm through the bars, attempting to get the keys, and get out.

Conore though quickly grasped Tails' around the waist, and jerked his brother out of the way, Tails' hand nearly caught up within the two mutants fighting,, and held the fox back.

"Over my dead body Tails!" Conore growled slightly.

Tails shook, "I just nearly had my hand bitten off!"

Misty and Sonic sat, trying to think on how to get out.

"If anything, we also got a third one." Sonic reminded.

Misty's white head spun to the other mutant, which kept moving around away from the other two, and lowered her ears in distress.

"You had to remind me," Misty growled, waving her paw back, and knocked it against the cell door, "I had an idea until you mentioned that thing."

The door that Misty knocked on then squealed open, her head then spun around, and stared out with a blank face.

"What the?" Misty blinked.

Aaron then shouted over the snarling, "Get the keys damn it!"

Misty blinked into reality,, waiting a second to make sure it was a good chance, to run, then bolted out. She scurried to the keys, avoiding Mince's tail that swung at her, snapped the keys into her mouth, and scampered back to the cell, missing the tail again as it wheeled at her. She leaped back into the cell, and flung the keys into the other cell, Shadow quickly grabbing it, and unlocked the door, but held it from swinging open. The keys where then passed to Espio, the chameleon clutched the keys with a bit of shock as the hedgehog mutant ran at him, and snapped at the keys, and missed.

Misty then shifted to her hedgehog form, and poked at her necklace, and within seconds, a small fish appeared in her hand.

The snarling then stopped.

"MISTY! THROW THE FISH!" They all shouted.

Sonic and Misty's cage then slammed shut as all three of the mutants started to snarl at them. The two leaped backwards, and the female gripped the dead fish within her hands.

"Geeze!" Sonic stared, "You bring out fish and they go nuts."

Misty stared at the fish blankly, "I was just gonna throw it for craps and gigs, but now that I see the effect…"

She smiled, and tossed the fish into the other cell. Shadow then caught the fish, and went instantly into a panic, unsure of what to do with the fish, flicking his head right and left and tried to think.

"Shadow!" Aaron yelped, "Over here!"

Shadow then instantly tossed the fish over to Aaron without thinking.

The wolf then also went into a panic, and glared at Shadow, "I meant LOOK over here! Not toss the fish over here!"

One of Mince's Serpents then shot form his body, and attempted to snap at the fish Aaron and. The wolf yelped and moved to the side quickly, avoiding his attack.

Sonic's mind then clicked with an idea, and spun to Knuckles, "Hey Knux!"

The echidna faced the blue hedgehog, "Yeah?"

"Can you fit through these cells to get into these guys' cell?" Sonic questioned.

Knuckles stared blankly, "Yeah, but…"

"Knux!" Sonic yelled over the loud snarling, "Move into the one next to you, then into Espio's, then the other empty one, then into these guys'! Hurry!"

The echidna nodded, and started to squeeze through the bars.

"Aaron!" Sonic yelled to him, "Toss the fish back and forth with Espio!"

Aaron's face then went pale, "Are you crazy? They'll go insane if we do!"

Espio then stared at the blank cell that separated him from the others, "We need a third person!"

The female bat then smiled, "I'll do tha-"

Aaron grabbed Rouge and dragged her back down behind him, "Ooooh no you don't! Like hell you're gonna do that!"

"I'll go." Conore insisted, leaping over Aaron and slipped through the bars into the other cell.

"Now what?" Espio stared at Sonic.

"Now pass the fish back and forth between you three!" Sonic instructed, "And I'll call you one by one to get over here and get out!"

Misty then poked at Sonic, "Yeah, um, the cell's locked again."

Tails then spun around to Espio, "Throw the keys over here!"

Espio reared up his hand, and was about ready to throw the keys into Aaron, Rouge, and Tails' cell, until Knuckles grabbed them from behind.

Espio glanced up at Knuckles, seeing the echidna smile a little.

"I'll take these." Knuckles stated, "You just worry about the fish."

Espio smiled and nodded..

"Tails, Rouge, Shadow!" Sonic yelped to them, "Get over here!"

The three didn't waste any time, and squeezed through the bars as quickly as they could, hearing the banging sounds of the three maniacs running into the cells and tried to attack the other three to get the fish.

Knuckles then shortly squeezed through the bars, and gave Sonic the keys, "Let's get the hell out of here!"

Sonic grabbed the keys and nodded, then unlocked the cell door. Misty then poked her head out and stared at the three mutants, waving her arm to try and get their attention. Seeing the three didn't even glance at her movements, she smiled a little, and faced the others.

"Shadow, Rouge. You first," Misty instructed, "get through this wooden door and stay behind it."

The two took a look at the mutants, and ran to the wooden door, slipping through its opening without letting it move.

"Tails, Knux." Misty called.

The two then also did the same as the first two, and slipped through the door without being noticed.

Sonic then spun his head, seeing Espio just passed the fish over to Conore, "Espio!" get over here!"

The chameleon then quickly squeezed through the bars like knife through butter, and within seconds, was able to get into the cell Misty and Sonic waited. He brushed his hands off from the small dampness, and waited from the fish to pass to Conore.

The fish was then passed to Conore.

"Go!" Sonic informed.

Espio camouflaged before he went, and ran through the opening in the doorway.

Conore then quickly passed back the fish to Aaron, and slipped through the bars.

Aaron then grew into panic again, "WHAT? What do I do with the fish?"

As Conore squeezed through the other bars, Misty then spoke up, "You toss te fish into te other cell AWAY from te door! Now hurry up!"

Aaron whimpered slightly, and flung the fish across the room into the cell that was next to Espio's, and quickly ran into the other cell where the others waited. The fish slapped into the locked cell, and the three mutants scampered over with hunger, and tried to break open the cell for it.

Conore and Aaron then slipped through the doorway, leaving Sonic and Misty.

"Wow." Sonic stared, "I never knew that if you drag fish out, they go berserk."

Misty then grabbed Sonic's hand, and dragged him out of their cell, "Less talky! More runny!"

The two then slipped out of the doorway, and slammed the wooden door shut, and automatically, a Spellock appeared, and locked the three mutants inside the room.

----------------------

His eyes flickered open, and he took a deep sigh with some irritation.

Quazaireon seen his expression, and stared blankly, "What's gone wrong now…"

He growled slightly, "So he has a brother?"

The dark creature didn't say a thing, and stood silently.

Zephyra and Ramaindna then ran into the room, Zephyra in a slight panic, and shook slightly.

"There's a freakin' wild mutant running around here! Can we kill the damn thing and the father!" Zephyra complained.

Ramaindna turned and stared at Zephyra, "Like Mince, it can't be killed, so we basically have to coop with it and teach the stupid thing not to bite."

Zephyra spun around and growled, his eyes turning flaming red, "Are you saying we can't get rid of EITHER of them?"

Quazaireon stared at the two strangely, "What the hell are you guys talking about? What wild mutant?"

The female then sighed deeply, "A mutant that Mince and Sonic made."

Demeortris' eyes then flipped back open, and stared at the female, "And Sonic?"

Quazaireon stared for a second, then started to laugh hysterically, not willing to believe her words. The dark one then silenced after the moment of laughter, and stared at her.

"Hehe, you're kidding, right?" Quazaireon questioned her.

She shook her head, "Mince, and Sonic…"

Demeortris then grinned, and stood up from his chair, leaned over, and set his hands on the table with interest.

"So what you're saying is…" Quazaireon growled slightly.

"Sonic was impregnated." Zephyra finished.

The dark one stared with silence, and sat down with his tail curled around to cover his legs. He then started to laugh hysterically again, like last time, then flopped to the floor with irritation, his large ears lower, and was about ready to sob.

"I can't take this anymore!" Quazaireon complained.

The door behind them then swung open slowly, and their heads flung around towards it, seeing a hedgehog chameleon cross creature walking in, growling slightly with irritation.

Quazaireon stared at it blankly, "What in the world is that?"

The thing stopped and stared at them all vacantly.

"EEK!" Zephyra yelped, his eyes turning back to blue, then leaped into Ramaindna's arms, and clung to her tightly, "That's it! Get it away! Get it away!"

Ramaindna was instantly drawn to rage, "Zephyra! It's the size of Quazaireon! The only thing it's gonna do is chew on your legs! Now get off of me!"

Zephyra refused, "That thing can leaped form there onto my head, I ain't lettin' go until that thing's gone! And I mean DEAD gone!"

Demeortris then laughed and stepped towards the creature, and knelt in front of it, "So this is what was brought into the world by Sonic? I'm very impressed."

Quazaireon growled, "Not just by Sonic! Guess who's dick it included!" The creature then turned to Zephyra, "And get the hell off of her!"

Zephyra stared back at him with a glare, "Fine! But if it comes after me, I have a right to leap back on her."

"Just get off!" Ramaindna hollered.

Zephyra then jumped off of her, and stood behind her, keeping his eye on the thing.

Demeortris stuck out one of his knuckles towards the creature, and the thing then licked it in reply, finding the demon friendly.

"I don't think you need to fear her Zephyra." Demeortris stated, "She seems a lot friendlier than you might think."

Ramaindna's mouth dropped, "It's a girl?"

Quazaireon leaped to his feet and stared at him with shock, "How the hell is that possible with two guys?!?!"

Zephyra then growled slightly, "Maybe some of Ramaindna's DNA caught within the-"

Ramaindna then turned around and slapped her hand over the demon-hog's mouth, and silenced him instantly.

"I think we know now." She stated.

Quazaireon then turned and started to walk towards another dark door, "I'm gonna be in my happy place for a bit."

Once the door Quazaireon walked through shut, Demeortris picked up the mutant and turned towards Ramaindna and Zephyra, "So Klaira, care to explain?"

Ramaindna's face turned white, "Um, like what?"

Demeortris smiled slightly, "Anything, whether its Kido's birth, you marrying someone then cheating on your husband, and, you know."

She grew scared, "Can, we not about this now? Not after what I've been through?"

Demeortris nodded, "If you insist Klaira."

"So do we have to call her Klaira now?" Zephyra asked.

Ramaindna sighed, "Fine, yes you can. Klaira from now on."

The demon then stood in front of her, and the mutant also stared at her, but with a concerned expression, it's black and red slotted eyes blinking to a normal set with violet eyes, and a dark blue skin covered the mutant. Demeortris then waved Zephyra away, and watched him walk into where Quazaireon went.

"I'm sorry." Klaira sighed, lowering her head in slight shame.

"Don't be." He stated, "I'm being honest, but he has done enough for now."

She raised her head back up, "I'm glad you see through our eyes now."

The demon smiled, "I have my limits, and Sonic was the one that I wanted him to stop at for now."

She smiled slightly.

The mutant then squirmed in Demeortris' arms, and leaped onto Klaira's shoulders, and licked her cheek. The weight was light, and the lick was nice and soothing, as the mutant's short fur rubbed on her shoulders and neck.

"I guess if Zephyra lightens up, he'll see what this thing really is." She stated.

Demeortris then lightly held her checks with his clawed hands, and brought her face close to his, "I care for you, I just wanted to see his true potential."

"You haven't seen it quite yet." She warned, "He can get worse, just toss a fish behind you, and he'll run you over as if you were the pavement."

He smiled, "Don't worry about him, alright sweetheart?"

She lowered her ears slightly at his comment, but quickly ignored it as the demon pressed his lips with hers. She closed her eyes, feeling the peace he spilled into her body, and sucked the stress out, and soon she felt more relieved. The mutant then nuzzled her neck, and demanded more attention as it whined slightly.

Demeortris ignored the mutant's whine, and slipped his tongue into her mouth for a quick moment, then pulled away, holding her shoulders and felt the mutant's claws poke his hands.

"Dear Klaira." He said, "Forgive me?"

She nodded, "Yes."

The mutant seemed happy, and licked Klaira's check again with joy.


	26. Now What?

**Chapter 26: **

**Now What?**

Quazaireon laid in the middle of the small room with his black and purple highlighted tail wrapped around him, as Zephyra sat and tried getting his mind off of the chaos with the game of Solitaire with the cards in the air like a smart board. Like always Quazaireon watched the demon-hog make mistakes and mention it to him to irritate him more. Zephyra then moved a ten of Diamonds onto a Jack of Spades from a smaller pile.

Quazaireon laughed slightly, "Should've gone through your deck."

Zephyra ignored the creature, and telekinetically flipped the card that the ten was in over, and a King of Hearts appeared, and he had no spot for it.

"Told you." Quazaireon sneered.

"Oh shut it." Zephyra growled, "I'm trying to calm down here, and you're not helping."

Quazaireon shrugged, "Well, what else have I got to do?"

The demon-hog glared at the creature again, "Put a damn curse on Mince, like shrinking his balls to dime size or something. Anything that'll piss him off."

Quazaireon then raised his head and stared at Zephyra, "If I did that, Demeortris would lynch me without a word of sayonara. Then what would _you_ do?"

Zephyra snorted, "I'd slice a blade through him until he was mince meat for the Hounds."

Quazaireon then sat up, and curled his tail tighter around his back legs, "Well then you'd have a bigger problem, wha'd you think he'd do after that?"

Zephyra then fell silent, lowering his ears.

"Exactly." Quazaireon finalized, "So we're stuck with him until something happens that's help kicking him out or killing him. So deal with it!"

Zephyra sighed, and put the cards away, then sat silently in his chair and stared in front of him bored, "I just thought of something."

Quazaireon faced Zephyra once more, "What now?"

"What would you say if we were to create a half horse, half dragon thing?"

Quazaireon growled loudly, "Trust me, it's like trying to feed a Tasmanian Devil with your hands, it's terrible. Probably the worst combination you could think of."

Zephyra continued to stared ahead of him, "What about anything fish-like?"

"Tried." Quazaireon growled, "Another bad thing."

"What about merhogs and-"

"Zephyra!" Quazaireon barked, "You ask about one more idea, and you'll be turned into a fish!"

The light-blue demon-hog shrugged, "And what? Flop around like any fish out of water?"

"No." Quazaireon growled deeply, "You'd be eaten by Mince."

Zephyra yelped slightly and stared at the dark one with worry, "You wouldn't!"

"I would." The dark one growled, "Now shut up and do something that won't cause me to do that…"

There was then a banging noise that came form behind them, and the door busted open, Klaira kicking the door open, and in panic.

"Klaira!" The two yelped slightly, 'What's wrong?"

"It's Mince!" She cried slightly, "D-Darren just gave M-Mince-"

"Wait!" Quazaireon stared, "Darren? Who's Darren?"

Klaira fell to her knees, "Forget I mentioned Darren! Mince is-"

"Darren's Mince's older bro." Zephyra stated.

Klaira's eyes narrowed in slight irritation, "Just get out he-"

Behind her a loud screech was made that defended their ears, all three bending over a little and covering their ears to try and lessen the screeching. Zephyra's eyes then stared up to see into Klaira's face, but something wet splattered across his face, and made the demon-hog jump backwards, almost falling over, and blinded the demon-hog's sight.

"Oh my god! Klaira!" Quazaireon's voice cried out.

Zephyra wiped his arm across his eyes to try and see again, he opened his eyes and his sight was tainted red from what splattered on his face, only gaining a glimpse of Klaira falling over, screaming while reaching behind her, where something about Quazaireon's size was on her back. Zephyra closed his eyes again, and stumbled backwards, wiping his eyes even more, then opened his eyes once again.

Klaira was down on the ground screaming continuously, as she was attacked by a medium size mutant almost identical to the one that he hated, but was covered in blood, and snapped at her face constantly, attempting to hopefully get a chunk from her face, though it also kept biting her arm. Quazaireon leaped at the mutant, his paws raging with a black and purple aurora, only to be struck back by a whip-like tail, smacking the dark one across the face. It was then Zephyra's turn, spinning his finger around in the air, harnessing an ice orb just above the rotating finger, and was caught after the demon-hog was satisfied. His hand glowed slightly a light green, and he lunged his hand towards the mutant, forming an ice leash around the mutant's neck, and jerked it back.

The mutant screeched, but not like the first screech, keeping it's talons in Klaira's arms, forcing her to cry out even more, bloody tears running down her face. Zephyra didn't think fully, and jerked even harder on the ice leash to the size, the mutant fighting back by jerking the other way. Without control, the ice leash shattered, and released the mutant from it, and made the demon-hog collapsed backwards, falling into a shelf that was injection needle infested, falling out and stabbing the demon-hog's body like daggers from the skies. Many of the injections stabbed him in his back, and few stabbed him in the chest, knocking him out instantly.

Klaira's arms bled violently, as the mutant was ripped away from her, and was silenced by its neck being snapped. She heard the screeching silence, and lay gasping for air from screaming, shaking as the pain within her arms spread all over her body. Two arms then wrapped around her, dragging her upwards off the ground, and drew her close to warmth, holding her against a body that wrapped her tight, and she wrapped her arms around in great fear. She took once glance up, and seen Demeortris's face, as she buried her head in his shoulders.

"It's alright Klaira." Demeortris told her, trying to calm her, "It's dead."

Klaira shook her head, and seen Quazaireon glare at her, who stood nest to Zephyra's knocked out body.

"We need to do something about him." Quazaireon insisted very deeply, "Or I'll do something about him."

Demeortris turned his head towards the dark one, and glared back, "Unless you want to keep your position as Priest of Darkness, state that one more time."

The dark one growled in irritation, "I'm not threatening, I'm just sick and tired of all these stupid mutant infants coming from him. And he hasn't been here a week!"

The demon growled, "You do realize that the one I just killed wasn't made by himself."

The dark one only continued to glare, and walked out, leaving Zephyra's body and the other two alone.

The demon then spotted Zephyra lying on the floor motionless, and turned to Klaira, "Stay here by the door for a second."

She nodded and released him, watching as he walked over to the younger demon-hog, and knelt beside him. The demon examined him for a few moments, seeing all the injections that stabbed him almost everywhere, and blood moistened his shirt, draining to the sides of his body onto the ground. All he did though was put his clawed hands over his body, making the injections disappear into thin air, and clinched quickly into a fist. Zephyra's eyes sprung open, and gasped as he was recovered from his knock out, coughing loudly as he grasped his neck, blood pouring from his mouth as he choked.

Demeortris motioned the demon-hog to his side, coughing the blood towards the wall, "Get all that you can out, while you can still breathe. Once you feel better, come out and sit."

Zephyra nodded, closing his eyes and still coughed.

----------------------------

Sonic, Espio, Conore, Shadow, and Rouge waited patiently in the woods they were once at, as the others were to be brought back with the Watch of Cursed Time that Misty has held onto. Conore though had to stand between Sonic and Espio, making sure that no fight would occur once again, unlike last time.

Shadow turned to Conore, sitting on a dead log, "So where are we headed from here?"

Conore shrugged, "Anywhere but Inchigo Base."

Rouge nodded, "Those things weren't stupid, if we weren't so skilled."

Sonic sighed, staring out through the forest, "So beans Mince is part of the Dark now, what do we do?"

Espio turned his head slightly to Sonic, then back away, sitting against a tree and his arms wrapped around his stomach, able to feel the infant flutter around a little inside, "We run."

The four others' heads spun towards him, Rouge's face turning a bit grim, "Why though?"

Espio's eyes then darkened with hate, "Why do you think?"

Sonic then turned to Rouge, "We need to figure out how to get rid of Espio's problem without killing him or letting the thing run wild. Who knows what could happen if either happen."

Conore's ears lowered, "It's gonna happen either way."

Shadow glared at the fox, "How would you know?"

The fox's blue eyes darkened as he stared at Shadow, "There's enough irreverence and strain that is to soon come that the infant will be erased from our minds, and we won't know when it'll be-"

"Don't!" Espio snapped, "Even say it…"

Sonic snorted, "You're telling me."

Conore was then attacked from behind, shoved to the ground, only to find that the attacker was Aaron, who was just fooling around.

"Heya guys!" Aaron barked happily, "Guess what?"

They all stared blankly at the wolf, seeing, Misty, Tails, and Knuckles behind the wolf, "What?"

Tails then bounced beside Aaron and Conore, "We're fuckin' out of that evil place!"

"Thankfully." Knuckles commented, brushing his arm off.

"And now I smell like fish." Misty whimpered slightly, in her hedgehog form, "And I didn't even hold it for a minute."

Espio quickly stood up, and spun to her, "Where's Darren?"

Misty stared blankly at the chameleon, "Um, Darren?"

Sonic glared at Espio, "If you're about to ask if we can go back and get him, hell no!"

"Strongly agreed." Shadow nodded.

Misty sighed, and glared at Espio, "At this point, I really don't care."

Espio then glared back, "We need to get to him if we know what's best for him."

"What about you?" Misty pointed to his stomach, "I'm sure that's gonna slow us down quite a lot if we attempt!"

Espio's eyes turned snake like, and snarled lightly, "Bring that up again and it'll be the last."

Knuckles then poked at Sonic, then pointed at Espio, "Do something, fast?"

Sonic nodded, and stepped a few steps forward, "You won't be able to cause of that, and plus, I think since that thing in ya, you're a worthless piece of crap that been turned into a whore!"

Espio spun around and snarled loudly at Sonic, then bolted towards him, feeling deeply threatened.

"SONIC! NO!" They shouted.

Sonic's eyes glowed gold, and he snarled back, and the two lunged at one another, with fangs and claws drawn out, ready to shred each other's throats to oblivion.

**THE END OF S. A. K. A. #2: THE WAR BEGINS**

**NEXT: #3 ALIEN MASSACRE**

* * *

I'm deeply sorry for the short chapter, but I wanted to finish this up so badly and work on Sonic PROject, and SA: Mirrors of Revelation, and also plan on my next 2 guests for Alien Massacre.

If you wish to be in it, please PM me or e-mail me to be in it, but you must go to my homepage, and into my previous journals for the app. to fill in.

Thank u for reading, and enjoy, please review, so much appreciated.

---MTH


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